Easy To Forget
by LongLiveTheElvenQueen
Summary: While living in Asgard as a little girl, Kira runs into a boy and his brother. They quickly become friends, but that friendship is short-lived when Kira moves to Alfheim with her family. Now, Kira is grown up and back in Asgard, but a lot has happened since she left and her old friends aren't the same people she had once known. Post Avengers. Eventual Loki/OFC pairing.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One:**

 _Kira walked down the golden streets, looking in each of the windows as she passed by them. Suddenly, a ball hit her in the shoulder, knocking her against the window of a small bakery. Two young boys around her age ran up to her and the blonde one reached out a hand to help her stand._

 _"_ _We're very sorry," the other darker-haired boy said, folding his hands behind his back shyly, "We didn't mean to hurt you."_

 _"_ _That's okay," Kira responded lightly springing up from the window as she gripped the blonde boy's hand, "I'm not hurt."_

 _"_ _Would you like to play with us?" the blonde one asked, "You can be the fair maiden who is captured by an evil dragon and then I can save you! My brother, Loki, can be the evil dragon."_

 _"_ _Loki? As in_ Prince _Loki?" Kira looked over at the dark-haired boy with wide eyes and then stared back at his brother, "Are you Prince Thor?" She asked in a hushed tone, unsure of how she was supposed to react._

 _"_ _I am," Thor said importantly, "And one day I will be King, just like Father! But until, then will you play with us?" he looked at Kira pleadingly and she nodded happily, running after the two princes._

 _"_ _Rrawr!" Loki grabbed Kira around the middle and held her hands behind her back, keeping her away from Thor. "You will never see the fair maiden ever again! I will eat her for breakfast!" Kira shrieked playfully and struggled to get out of Loki's grip. "No! Help me, Mighty Thor! Don't let me be Loki the Dragon's breakfast!"_

 _"_ _Have no fear, fair maiden! The Mighty Thor is here to save you from the evil dragon's grasp!" Thor tackled Loki to the ground and the three children fell together in a mass of arms and legs, each laughing hysterically._

 _"_ _Take that, dragon! And that!"_

 _"_ _Nooooo!" Loki yelled theatrically, "You have saved the maiden from my grasp!"_

 _"_ _For your crimes, Loki the Dragon, you are sentenced to death by my sword!" Thor mimicked an imaginary sword being thrust into Loki's stomach and Loki fell back accordingly, still laughing._

 _"_ _That was fun!" Kira exclaimed, "Let's do it again, but this time Loki can save me from Thor the Dragon!"_

 _"_ _But Loki is always the villain," Thor protested, "And I always save the fair maiden."_

 _"_ _Please, Thor," Kira pouted, "Just this once."_

 _"_ _Yes, Thor," Loki echoed, "Just this once."_

 _"_ _Oh, alright," Thor agreed, "But just this one time." Then, he ran up to Kira and grabbed her wrists, just as Loki had. "Nobody can save you now!"_

 _Kira shrieked once again and the game started over._

 _…_ _._

 _Afterwards, the three children found themselves lying on the grass, exhausted. Suddenly, Kira sat bolt upright, "I have to go," she said to the brothers, "I can hear my mother calling me."_

 _"_ _Will you be here tomorrow?" Thor asked eagerly as Loki nodded in earnest agreement._

 _"_ _I'll try." Kira waved and was beginning to run towards the sound of her mother's voice when Loki stopped her, "Wait! What's your name? We can't keep calling you 'fair maiden' for forever."_

 _Kira grinned over her shoulder at him, "My name is Kira."_

 _"_ _Okay then, Fair Kira. See you tomorrow." Thor made an exaggerated bow and the two brothers waved and watched as Kira ran back to her mother._

….

Kira set down her bag with a thump and looked around at the room she had been given. Apparently, getting a job at the royal library had more than a few perks. After she had taken out and organized everything, she headed over to the library to start her first job.

The librarian was an old man, too old to climb the great ladders that stretched all the way to the top of the library. Kira stared in awe at her surroundings, trying very hard not to gape at the shelves of books, more books than she had ever seen in her life. She walked over to one of the shelves and ran her fingers over their spines. She had a feeling she would enjoy working here.

The old librarian walked out from behind a bookshelf, chuckling softly to himself as he watched Kira's expressions as she explored the library.

"Kira, I assume?"

Kira whipped around quickly, but relaxed and smiled when she saw the librarian. "Yes, that's me."

"Arvid. It's good to see a fellow book lover." He shook her hand. "I think you'll find that our library is slightly different from your father's bookstore down on Edland Street."

"Yes, it's just a little bit bigger…more books too…" She trailed off as she continued to look around.

"Well, I'm just glad I won't have to climb toe ladders anymore." He shook his head exasperatedly, "Those things will be the end of me."

Kira laughed, "That's why I'm here."

Arvid seemed to sober for a second, "Actually, climbing ladders will only be part of your job. You came here from Alfheim, yes?"

"Yes, but I lived here in Asgard as a little girl."

"Then you missed all the action. Prince Loki tried to destroy Jotonheim and take over Midgard."

"Loki?" Kira couldn't believe it. She had known Loki, although not for very long, and he would never do something so rash. She had always believed Thor to be the rash one of the pair, though even he wouldn't do such a thing.

"Yes," Arvid shook his head disappointedly, "Always liked him. Came in here every week to find more books." He chuckled ruefully, "Never missed a late book deadline either. I'm pretty sure he's read almost every book here."

"I find that hard to believe." Kira looked around again, "There must be thousands of books here."

"Well, I suppose you could always ask him."

"What do you mean by that, Arvid?"

"That's the other part of your job. The Queen has asked that someone bring Loki new books every day. I'd do it myself, but the Queen wouldn't hear of it. Said I was too old." He sighed. "Anyway, you won't be in there alone. Just yell for guards and they'll come running. Don't you worry about Loki."

But Kira wasn't listening, she was too busy arguing with herself. The very thought of being with Loki (evil or not) made excited butterflies bounce around in her stomach. But at the same time, she didn't want to see him in case he recognized her as the girl he had spent a week playing with every day. The girl who decided she loved him after only two days.

Kira shook her head; she had not been in love. That was just a word she had used because she didn't know what else to call it. Besides, it had been years since he had seen or heard from her and Loki had probably forgotten all about her within the first year of her being gone. She had never told him she "loved" him anyway.

It would be interesting to see what had become of Loki since she left. When she had known him, he was just a boy who felt overshadowed by his brother. Now apparently, he was an evil villain. Kira needed to see this for herself. Still, she was apprehensive about meeting him again and whether it would bring back old feelings. Kira supposed there was only one way to find out, so she nodded nervously to Arvid. "Okay, I'll do it."

"You sure? I bet they could find someone else to do it."

"No, no, I'm fine. I can do it."

"Well, okay then, you can start right away. Let me just get this out for you…" Arvid pulled out a golden bracelet from underneath his desk. "This will allow you to get in and out of Loki's cell without interruption. Just make sure he doesn't notice it, or else he may force it from you and escape."

"I'll keep that in mind, thank you." Kira took the bracelet from Arvid's hand and examined the silver marks etched into it.

"Those marks would be an interesting thing to look up if you ever have any spare time." He nodded to the golden bracelet, "I'm sure there's a book on them in here somewhere."

"That would be interesting, thanks for the suggestion." Kira fastened the bracelet relatively high on her arm and pulled her sleeve down over it.

"When you get back, you're supposed to give the bracelet back to me, that way if Loki ever escapes; it can't be traced back to you."

"Of course. Right away."

"Alright then," Arvid said nervously, "Loki's stack of books are over there." He pointed to a pile of six books stacked on top of each other and Kira picked them up. "The guards will escort you down to the dungeons," he continued and she turned to leave, "Oh, and Kira," Arvid added, "Please be careful. Good assistants are difficult to come by."

"I will be." Kira said over her shoulder as she walked through the double doors of the library, trying not to let on how nervous she was.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Thank you to all who have read this far. I know it's only the second chapter, but I really appreciate it since this is the first story I have decided to publish. Please feel free to comment any suggestions you may have. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! :)**

* * *

 **Chapter 2:**

Kira walked behind the two guards as they lead her towards Loki's cell. She tried to plan out what she would say to him once she saw him, if he even spoke to her at all. She doubted he would, she was just a librarian's assistant after all, but she couldn't help but hope that maybe, _just maybe_ , he hadn't forgotten her.

….

 _Kira woke up before the sun had even risen the morning after she had played with the princes, but she was too excited to go back to sleep. Skidding down the hallway and running down the stairs, Kira breathed in the scent of books as she ran into her father's bookstore, jumping onto one of the cushioned chairs and grabbing her favorite book to read until it was time to play with Thor and Loki again._

 _Eventually, she grew too excited to sit still so she bounced off the chair and, taking her book with her, skipped out the door and onto the sidewalk. Or, she would have skipped onto the sidewalk, if her older brother's arm hadn't been in the way._

 _"_ _Where are you going?" he asked sternly, blocking the doorway with his tall frame. "Does Mother know?"_

 _"_ _Hagen," Kira complained, "I'm just going to the park near the bakery."_

 _"_ _To_ read?" _Hagen asked incredulously, looking pointedly at the book in Kira's hand._

 _"_ _Yes." Kira said, "Is that against the rules too?"_

 _"_ _No, it's just that little girls like you don't go to the park just to read."_

 _"_ _Well, you're not a little girl, so you wouldn't know." Kira said confidently and Hagen laughed._

 _"_ _Maybe not, but I know you; and you've always got something going on under the surface. Does it, by any chance, have to do with the boys you were playing with yesterday?"_

 _Kira gasped, "How did you know?"_

 _Hagen laughed again, "Because Mother told me last night. If you want to go back to play with them, you'll have to wait until she wakes up, she'd kill me if I let you go out to the park without her knowing."_

 _"_ _Okay," Kira said sullenly, and Hagen ruffled her hair as he headed back up the stairs._

 _Kira decided to try to read again while she waited, but she didn't have to read long as ten minutes later, Hagen came back down the stairs._

 _"_ _Turns out I'm not the only one who was woken up by your running down the hallway. Mother says you can go as long as you shut the door quietly."_

 _Kira sprinted towards Hagen and threw her arms around his middle, "Oh, Hagen, thank you, thank you, thank you!"_

 _Hagen kissed the top of her head and pushed her towards the door, "You're welcome, Kira. Just be careful and try not to get hurt too badly."_

 _"_ _I won't, Hagen, I promise!" Kira skipped out the door towards the park._

 _As she walked along the sidewalk, Kira tried to think up games for the three of them to play. She sat down underneath a willow tree and waited excitedly for the boys to come running up. She waited there for five minutes…then ten…then fifteen…_

 _After twenty minutes of waiting, Kira pulled out her book and began to read, trying to distract herself from the nagging thought that the two brothers had forgotten about her. She felt her eyes begin to sting and soon her vision was swimming with unshed tears of abandonment. She tried valiantly to keep them from falling, but eventually they overflowed and a single tear splashed onto the page. Kira took a shaky breath and tilted her head back, blinking away the rest of the tears that were threatening to fall. She was about to go back to her book when she felt a hesitant tap on her shoulder. Kira glanced up find Loki watching her._

 _"_ _I thought you had forgotten about me," she said, trying to keep her tone light so that Loki couldn't see how upset she had been. But Loki could hear a slight sharpness in her voice that betrayed her feelings, and he sat down next to her._

 _"_ _I'm sorry," he said sincerely, "Father kept us in the palace longer than he usually does. He's still talking to Thor right now."_

 _"_ _That's okay," Kira sniffled, Loki's sudden appearance had made it difficult for her to control her tears, and she could feel the dangerous sting begin to form again. Loki could tell what she was holding back and it made him shift uncomfortably on the grass beside her._

 _"_ _Are you sure you're okay?" he asked tentatively, unsure if this was how he was supposed to proceed. He was taken aback at Kira's next words, expecting something considerably less emotional._

 _"_ _No!" Kira didn't mean to yell, but she had been holding in her feelings for far longer than a little girl should , "I thought you had forgotten about me and I was going to be sitting here alone forever just waiting for you to show up!"_

 _Loki looked down guiltily and tried to find the words to say. He couldn't find any that he thought would comfort Kira, so instead he hugged her and decided to make her a promise, "I'll never forget you, Kira; never, ever, ever. I promise."_

 _…_ _._

 _I promise._ The two words rang in Kira's head as she followed the guards down the steps into the dungeon.

They stopped silently by the entrance and Kira guessed she was supposed to go on alone. She tried to keep her hands from shaking as she walked down the corridor, feeling as if every eye was upon her. Thankfully, Loki's cell was the first one on the left, so she did not have to go far.

The first thing Kira saw when she walked up to the cell was Loki himself, sitting against the wall as he read. She studied his appearance and posture, noting the bored way he turned the pages. He had certainly grown up since she had last seen him.

Kira stepped through the golden mesh that blocked Loki from leaving and glanced over at him, wondering where he wanted the books that were stacked in her arms placed. When he didn't do so much as glance up at her, she just dropped the books down on one of the tables that were scattered throughout the cell. Kira glanced once more at Loki, slightly indignant he hadn't acknowledged her yet. She had turned around to leave when she finally heard him speak.

"Not there."

She turned back around and faced him, waiting for him to elaborate, but Loki just continued to read as if he hadn't spoken at all.

"Then where do you want them?" Kira asked, mildly irritated at his bored tone.

This time he did look up and Kira could have sworn his eyes narrowed slightly when he looked at her, as if he was trying to place her, but the look was gone in less than a second.

"Over there somewhere." He waved his hand lazily in the direction of the corner to his right, much to Kira's annoyance; she didn't like his attitude. She hid her feelings towards him, however, and moved the books onto the floor, nestling them into the corner.

"Not there either."

This time, Kira let some of her annoyance out, "If you're so picky about where you want your books, move them yourself."

She saw his blue eyes flash and fought the urge to back into the corner with the books stacked against it, away from Loki as he stood slowly and strode towards her. He reached out and lifted her chin, forcing her to look him in the eyes as he whispered vehemently, "What is your name, girl?"

"Kira," she said dauntlessly, not particularly caring at the moment whether he remembered her or not.

"Well, Kira, I suggest you learn to show some respect to your betters. This will be your only warning."

"Right," Kira said dryly, "because the one who can't leave his cell is the better one."

Loki shoved her against the wall, holding her by her throat, "I was meant to be King! And you are nothing but a servant." He let her go and she slid down the wall, maneuvering around him so her back was to the golden mesh.

"Assistant, actually." Kira said as she backed out of the cell, trying to keep her voice from shaking as she stepped onto the marble floor of the dungeon corridor. Once she was safe from Loki's grasp she turned and walked down the hallway, trying very hard not to run.

….

Loki watched her leave, a satisfied grin on his face. He knew he had frightened her, he'd seen it in her eyes when he had pushed her up against the wall and he'd seen it again when she was backing out of the cell, though he admired how well she had hidden it.

But he had other things to think about. Such as why she seemed so familiar. He felt as if he should know her from somewhere, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. Loki supposed he could blame it on her brown hair and brown eyes that were so typical on the streets of Asgard, but he felt as though he had known her better than just someone from the street.

 _Kira._ He racked his brain, trying to remember when it was he had last heard that name. Coming up with nothing except a few memories of a park, he decided she must have been a childhood friend. A childhood friend that had been easy to forget.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three:**

Kira stormed down the hallway ahead of the guards, ripping off the gold bracelet from her wrist as she shoved open the library doors. Arvid looked up from the stack of books he had been stamping, a curious expression on his face.

Kira dropped the bracelet on the desk in front of him angrily, "I am _never_ going back there again. You can tell the Queen to find some guard to do it, because I quit."

"Kira," Arvid responded patiently, "We've already informed the Queen that you will be the one bringing Loki his books, we can't go back on it now; the schedule has already been decided."

"Well, you're going to have to go back on it, because I am not going back to that arrogant, wannabe king!"

"He wasn't always like that, you know," Arvid replied calmly, "he was once a good person."

"I know," Kira said, sighing in frustration, "but whoever he was back then, he's not that person anymore."

Arvid finished stamping the books and arranged them all in a neat pile before responding, "When I was a little boy, my mother once told me that although our actions and attitudes may change, who we are inside never does. I think that's the case with Loki. His attitude against Thor changed for the worse and his actions followed. But, buried beneath his mask of lies and viciousness, there is a part of him-a _good_ part of him-that is constantly battling to get free. Someone just needs to come around and free it."

….

 _Loki pulled away from Kira and looked down consciously, unfolding and folding his hands together in front of him. Kira watched him as he struggled to find a topic to talk about and quickly got bored of sitting awkwardly in silence, "What's your favorite color? Do you have any pets? What do you do in your free time?" She spouted off all the questions that came to her mind, not bothering to pick just one._

 _Loki thought for a second before replying slowly and carefully, "My favorite color is gold; I have a pet horse named Runa; and I enjoy reading when I have the time."_

 _Kira perked up at the latter, tilting her head towards Loki curiously, "What's your favorite book?"_

 _Loki looked slightly surprised that Kira was asking, but answered no less earnestly, "My favorite book is a story about how my father negotiated the peace between Asgard and Jotonheim. It's called Negotiating the Peace."_

 _Kira thought back for a second, "I think my father has that book somewhere in his bookstore, but I've never read it."_

 _"_ _Your father owns a bookstore?" Loki asked curiously._

 _"_ _Yes, it's nice because I get to read any book whenever I want to. Maybe I'll read your book next, after I finish this one." She held up the book she had been previously reading, "It's the second book of a series called_ The Dragon Riders _and it's about a group of magical people that help a revolution against the Queen of the dragons. It's my favorite book."_

 _"_ _I've never heard of it," Loki said._

 _"_ _You can borrow it if you want," suggested Kira, "We'd have to go over to my father's bookstore, though, since this is the second book. There are three of them, but I haven't been able to get the third one yet."_

 _"_ _Let's go now," Loki stood up eagerly and pulled Kira up from against the tree._

 _"_ _Okay," Kira led Loki to the sidewalk, all the while talking about her family excitedly, "My father won't be at the shop because he's visiting my grandmother in Alfheim, but my brother, Hagen, will be in charge, so he can get it down for us."_

 _They walked for a few minutes before reaching the bookstore. It was small, but cozily decorated with comfy couches and chairs._

 _"_ _Hagen!" Kira called, expertly weaving in between the bookshelves and jumping over the back of couches and chairs as she ran towards her older brother. Loki followed less zealously, carefully making sure he never touched or knocked anything over._

 _"_ _Kira!" Hagen shouted back from somewhere behind a bookshelf, "What have we told you about jumping on the chairs? You're going to break them!" He walked around the bookshelf and hugged Kira, his eyes twinkling. Then, he caught sight of Loki and the twinkles immediately faded, "Prince Loki." He let go of Kira and nodded respectfully, if not warily._

 _"_ _Hagen, this is my new friend! We're looking for the first book in The Dragon Riders series. It hasn't been bought yet, has it?"_

 _Hagen looked down at Kira and grinned while he answered, but Loki noticed that the smile didn't reach his eyes, "As far as I know, it hasn't. It still belongs to you, Princess."_

 _"_ _I'm going to let Loki borrow it!" Kira explained excitedly._

 _Once again, Hagen looked at Loki and the intensity of his gaze made Loki shift uncomfortably. Hagen's message was clear,_ if you hurt my sister…

 _But Loki made his response equally clear,_ never.

 _Hagen seemed satisfied, or at least less on edge, and he led the two friends into the back of the shop, sliding an ice blue colored book from the top shelf and handing it to Kira, who hugged it to herself before giving it to Loki, who handled it carefully._

 _Kira wasted no time in pulling Loki onto a couch. "Read it! Read it!" she exclaimed, looking over his shoulder as he began to read aloud, "_ Raina looked out at her new kingdom with her dragon, Eclipse, by her side…"

 _…_ _._

Kira spent the rest of the afternoon stamping books, organizing them in alphabetical order, and walking all over the huge library looking for the correct place for said books to go. She did most of this in complete silence, only speaking if she had a question. This silence allowed her to think about what both Loki and Arvid had said to her, and try to figure out where her feeling should lie.

Three hours later, Kira left the library with her head still buzzing and her heart conflicted. Her heart told her that the Loki she had known years ago still existed, just as Arvid had said, but her head kept reminding her of Loki's words to her and how different, how _angry_ he was now compared to how he was when Kira had known him. Kira wished she could just choose one side instead of flirting the line between both, but she just wasn't sure which decision was the right one.

Kira walked down the corridor towards her chambers, distracted by the thoughts twisting in her mind. As a result, she didn't notice the dark-haired woman in silver and red armor as she strode past her, at least not until her arm caught the edge of one of the woman's gauntlets.

"Hey!" Kira spun around, looking accusingly at the woman.

"If you would watch where you're going you wouldn't get hurt," the woman responded disapprovingly, before turning back around and striding away in the opposite direction.

"Hmph," Kira glared daggers at the woman's back, angry at both herself for not paying enough attention to where she was going and at the woman for pointing it out. She knew it was juvenile to think like that, but her time with Loki had really screwed with her emotions.

Kira unlocked her door and walked in, throwing herself onto the couch and resting her head in her hands. She hated the effect Loki was having on her, but she couldn't deny that her actions were her own. Kira decided that she needed to distract herself from the day's events, so she went over to the bookshelf that was resting against the wall and picked up the first book that caught her eye. It was small with a velvet cover and gold etchings that spelled out the title and author, _Negotiating the Peace_ by Edward Druggen. Shrugging, Kira sat back on the couch and flipped to the first page where she began to read.


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Thank you to all my lovely readers, please follow, favorite and review so I know what I'm doing right and what I'm doing wrong. :)**

* * *

 **Chapter Four:**

Kira woke up to a crash in her living area. Freezing, she held her breath and listened to the clink of what sounded like plates. Slowly, Kira got out of bed and cracked the door that opened into the living area, cautiously peeking out.

She saw a young girl with pale blonde hair and blue eyes picking up a plate that had fallen off of the table. She was dressed in a blue dress and apron that gave away her status, a serving girl. Kira exhaled in relief, glad that there was no real threat.

She pushed the door open the rest of the way and the creak that echoed across the silent room caused the girl to glance up in alarm, a look like a caged animal in her eyes. She began to back away slowly towards the door, never taking her wide blue eyes off of Kira.

Kira took a slow step forward, holding out her hands in a show of trust. "My name is Kira," she said clearly, "I won't hurt you."

The scared look in the girl's eyes didn't leave, but she did pause in her retreat, "You weren't supposed to see me. I-I'm not supposed to talk to you." She spoke in a hesitant whisper, clearly afraid of something.

"It's okay," Kira coaxed, "I won't tell anyone I saw you. What's your name?"

The girl looked around warily before responding quietly, "Astrid."

"Well, Astrid, thank you for bringing me breakfast." Kira looked over at the table and felt her stomach begin to growl. Astrid glanced over as well, but when Kira looked back up at her, she was gone.

Shaking her head, Kira sat down at the table in front her breakfast, but her curiosity had been aroused. She decided she would try to catch Astrid tomorrow morning and figure out what scared her so much.

When she had finished eating, Kira walked down to the library, dreading her next encounter with Loki. She nodded hello to Arvid and slid the gold bracelet on her arm, careful to hide it under her sleeve.

"Good luck," Arvid said to her as she collected Loki's books from him. Kira sighed in reply and slowly followed the guards down to the dungeons.

As before, the guards left her at the entrance and Kira went on alone, no less self-conscious than she had been the day before.

Stepping through the mesh, Kira glanced over to find Loki in the same position against the wall, reading a different book in the same bored way. Kira waited for a few seconds before turning and placing the books in the same corner as she had yesterday.

"Did I not tell you yesterday to not put them there?" Loki's voice was incredulous, but Kira got the sense he enjoyed toying with her. Under more normal circumstances, she would have decided to irritate _him_ for a change, but judging by his behavior the day before, that wasn't the wisest choice.

" _Then where do you want them?"_ Kira kept her voice at a sickly sweet whisper, but Loki watched her eyes flash in annoyance.

"Certainly not there. Why don't you try a table somewhere? That is what they're for, after all. And by the way, you can take those books over there back to the library, they don't interest me." He nodded towards a neat stack of books by the golden mesh. Kira rolled her eyes, but moved the new books over to the nearest table and then went to pick up the old books to bring them back to the library.

As she grew closer to them, Kira realized that they had already been sorted in alphabetical order by author.

"How nice," she said to herself, "They're already ready for me to check them back in."

"Not anymore." Loki waved his hand and green tendrils of magic blazed from the stack of books, sending them flying all over the room.

"You know, I don't like those books at that table, I think I want them over there." More green magic blazed from the new stack of books as well, though this time instead of flying everywhere, they fell in the general vicinity of the table nearest to Loki.

While all this was going on, Kira just stood with her arms crossed glaring at Loki, "Are you done yet?" She dropped the sickly sweet tone of voice for one her mother used to use with her whenever she threw a tantrum.

"I believe so." Loki grinned at her, "But that would depend on how much you manage to mess up your next tasks."

"You know, this may come as a shock to you, _but I don't have magic._ That means I have to pick up the books manually, the _hard way._ " When Loki didn't respond, Kira rolled her eyes and bent down to pick up the books Loki had flung everywhere.

"Well, I suppose we could change that."

Kira froze for a second before straightening back up from her crouched position, looking at Loki warily.

"What do you mean?"

" _I mean_ ," Loki sighed dramatically, "I could always attempt to teach you magic. After all, I have nothing better to do. We'll start tomorrow. Don't be late." He waved his hand and the books went back to their proper positions, the ones around the table were moved onto the wooden tabletop and the books scattered throughout the cell arranged themselves in alphabetical order at Kira's feet. Kira nestled the stack of books in the crook of her arm, still keeping a distrustful eye on Loki. When he didn't move or speak, she stepped out of the mesh and made her way back to the library.

….

When Loki was sure Kira was gone, he stood up from his place up against the wall and began to pace, making a list of the characteristics he had observed in his mind.

Number one was a short temper, which was obvious. Number two, slightly out of place. As if she didn't know how to act while in his presence. Number three, distrustful; maybe not of everyone, but certainly of him. Number four, sarcastic; possibly to compensate for her feeling out of place.

He stopped the list there, but felt sure he would end up going back to it tomorrow after their magic lesson. He shook his head, did he really just suggest that to her? Sure, he was bored of books, but may have just subjected himself to years of painful frustration if she didn't have any magical potential. But it was too late to go back on it now. Besides, it might give him an opening to ask about that gold bracelet he had noticed on her wrist when she had bent down to pick up the stack of books that he placed at her feet.

….

 _Kira walked to the park, hoping the brothers wouldn't be late this time. She breathed a sigh of relief when she caught sight of Loki standing beside the tree._

 _"Where's Thor?" She ran towards him, hugging him quickly before looking at him inquisitively._

 _"Father's talking to him," Loki answered, looking down sullenly._

 _"Why isn't he talking to you too?"_

 _"Because I'm not going to be King. I'm not important enough to be in the talk."_

 _"I don't think that's true." Kira sat down against the tree and motioned for Loki to join her, "You_ are _important. What happens if Thor isn't on Asgard and someone needs to be acting King? You'd need to know what to do."_

 _"But I'd still only be_ acting _King! I want to actually be King," Loki said bitterly, "I'd make a better King than Thor would, anyway."_

 _"Well, Thor isn't going to be King for a while, maybe when he's older he'll make a better King." Kira looked over at Loki, who was kicking the tiny rocks in the dirt sourly. "Are you sure your father doesn't want you to be in the talk? I bet if you asked him he would let you."_

 _"I don't think so."_

 _"Just try," Kira pleaded, standing and pulling Loki up with her. She looked up at him with wide brown eyes and he sighed, "Okay."_

 _"Great!" Kira bounced up and down excitedly, "I'm right, you'll see."_

 _"Can you come with me?" Loki asked undecidedly, nowhere near as excited as Kira was._

 _"Sure! Let's go." She grabbed his hand and pulled him to the left, but Loki pulled back, smiling for the first time that day, "That's the wrong way! The castle is in this direction."_

 _Kira and Loki walked for about ten minutes before they reached the gates of the castle. Kira looked up in awe, it was so much larger up close._

 _"I can't believe you_ live _here," she whispered as they walked through the grand hallways._

 _"Yeah…it gets kind of lonely sometimes, though. The palace is pretty empty most of the time, with the exception of the guards, of course." He stopped in front of a door that looked exactly like all of the other doors they had passed by. "I thought you might want to stay with my mother while I go find Father and Thor."_

 _"Are you sure you don't want me to come with you?"_

 _Loki thought for a second but then shook his head, "No. I think this is something I need to do myself."_

 _"Okay." Kira watched as Loki knocked on the door and a pretty woman with curled hair opened it._

 _"Loki, you're back sooner than I thought," she hugged him, smiling warmly. "And you must be Kira." Loki's mother let him go and hugged Kira, "Come in, I wasn't expecting you back for while, but I'll have them bring up some lunch for the three of us."_

 _"Actually, Mother, I was going to speak with father about something. Do you know where he is?" Loki looked faintly apprehensive, but held his chin up as he spoke._

 _"I believe he and Thor are in the gardens." Loki turned around and was about to leave the room when his mother forestalled him. "Loki," she called, "good luck."_

 _"Thank you, Mother." He hugged her and Kira goodbye and left in the direction of the gardens._

 _Frigga closed the door behind him and smiled kindly at Kira, who clearly had no idea what to do in the presence of the Queen of Asgard, "Sit down and tell me about yourself," Frigga motioned towards a cushioned chair that was placed at a beautiful wooden table._

 _"Where is your family from?" She asked once Kira was settled, "I don't think they are native here."_

 _"My grandmother is from Alfheim," Kira replied, "but how did you know that she wasn't from here?"_

 _Frigga laughed, "I know because I am a mother and I know many things."_

 _"That sounds just like something_ my _mother would say," Kira said. "My grandmother married an Asgardian and they had my father and my two uncles. Then, my father also married an Asgardian and they moved here. But, my father still visits my grandmother in Alfheim for a week twice a year. That's where he is now."_

 _"What does your father do for a living?" Frigga asked._

 _"He owns a bookstore on Hilles Street, but my older brother, Hagen, is running it while he is gone."_

 _"Do you enjoy reading?"_

 _"I love it. Loki and I like talking about our favorite books together."_

 _"Yes, he mentioned you letting him borrow one of your favorite books, he was very excited. I don't think he put the book down once the entire afternoon."_

 _"I'm glad he likes it," Kira giggled._

 _"He does," Frigga laughed, "He said he wants the next one for his birthday, even though it's not for another six months."_

 _"My birthday is in four days," Kira said, "My mother says she's going to have a surprise for me. I really want to know what it is."_

 _"If you knew what it was, then it wouldn't be a surprise," Frigga chided lightly._

 _"I know," said Kira. Just then, a serving boy brought out two plates of snacks, the smell making Kira's stomach growl._

 _"Help yourself," Frigga said kindly as she reached for an orange and began to peel it._

 _They were halfway through their lunch when Loki and Thor came in, their eyes shining excitedly._

 _"You were right, Kira. Father did let me join in when I asked," Loki said._

 _"I told you so," Kira responded, punching him in the arm as he sat next to her, "Hello, Thor."_

 _Thor bowed to her, making her giggle, "A pleasure to see you, Fair Kira."_

 _Frigga watched the children with an amused look on her face, "So, boys, what did your father teach you about today?"_

 _"We learned about the frost giants and how father defeated them when they tried to invade Midgard!" Thor shouted excitedly._

 _"We also learned that a true king never seeks out war," Loki said, looking meaningfully at Thor._

 _"Yeah, but he always needs to be ready for it," Thor countered smugly._

 _"Being ready for war and seeking it out are two very different things!" Loki's voice began to rise._

 _"Yeah, well-"_

 _"Boys!" Frigga interrupted exasperatedly, "Why don't we eat our lunch and then afterwards you can take Kira to the park and play together._ Nicely."

 _"Yes, Mother," Thor said._

 _"Okay."_

 _"Good. Now, what else did you learn?"_


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: This is only about 3/4 of the actual chapter, but I've hit writer's block, so it's going to be a while before I completely finish it. But enjoy what I have so far! *UPDATE* The rest of the chapter has been posted! :)  
**

* * *

 **Chapter Five**

Kira walked down the hallway, still confused about what Loki had said. He had tried to strangle her just yesterday, why was he offering her magic lessons? She shook her head. He was certainly much more unpredictable than he used to be.

She reached the library, handing over the gold bracelet to Arvid who took it with an inquiring look at her.

"So…how did it go?"

"Better. He's very confusing, though."

"He probably just enjoys toying with you," Arvid said wisely, "After all, he's stuck in that cell with no human interaction for hours at a time. It's probably his idea of enjoyment."

"I guess so…" Kira was about to go put Loki's books away when a thought struck her, "What exactly did he do while he was at Midgard?"

"Quite a few things," Arvid said, "Do you want the long version or the short version?"

"Just the short version, I have to put these books back."

"Alright," Arvid began his tale, "Basically, Loki had always wanted to be King, even when he was a kid. So, when Thor's coronation came about, he stalled it by smuggling frost giants into the treasury, getting two of our guards killed.

"Now, if you ask me," Arvid interjected, "Thor wasn't ready to be King. That said, I don't approve of Loki's methods.

"Anyway, when Thor was banished from Asgard for starting a war with the frost giants, Loki became acting King. I guess he got paranoid that Thor would come and take back the throne, because he sent The Destroyer to Midgard to kill him. Obviously, that didn't work out and Loki ended up bringing about the very thing he wanted to prevent. Thor ultimately defeated Loki, who then decided to jump off what was left of the Rainbow Bridge. Years later, he popped up on Midgard with an army of Chitauri warriors and tried to take over. I heard he killed eighty people in his first two days there.

"They managed to get a bunch of Midgardian heroes called the Avengers to eventually fight him off and Thor brought him back here for a trial. You know the rest of the story."

Kira sat back in her chair. Eighty people. Suddenly, she realized how dangerous her job was. Even when Loki had her pinned against the wall by her throat, the gravity of the situation hadn't quite hit her. Sure, she had been startled, but I never crossed her mind that he might have actually _killed_ her.

"You okay?" Arvid looked at her, concern illuminating his wrinkled features.

"Yeah…yeah, I'm fine. I'm going to go put those books back now." Kira smiled in what she hoped was a convincing way and walked away quickly.

….

 _Kira walked home from the palace, accompanied by Loki and Thor. At the door to her father's store, she hugged both brothers goodbye._

 _"Kira," Thor began, "Loki and I are going to Izar's Forest tomorrow with four of our friends. Do you want to come with us? We'll meet you here in the morning."_

 _"Sure!" Kira said excitedly, "It'll be fun!"_

 _"Okay," Thor hugged her again and the two brothers left her at her doorstep._

 _That night, Kira could hardly sleep and her dreams were filled with running and laughter._

 _She woke up early again, grabbing her book and sitting outside against the wall while she waited. While she was reading, she heard the door open and Hagen peeked out, looking down at Kira with his eyebrows raised._

 _"_ Now _where are you going? First the park, then the palace, where to next, Izar's Forest?" Hagen sat down next to her, his long legs pulled up against his chest._

 _"Actually, yes. How did you know?"_

 _"I was just kidding. I didn't think you were actually going there. You know Mother doesn't like you going into the woods without me or Father."_

 _"Then come with us," Kira said eagerly._

 _But Hagen shook his head, "You know I can't, Princess. I have to look after the store. You'll have to tell them you can't go today."_

 _"But I already told them I could! They'll be picking me up soon," She pouted, "This is why I don't like it when Father goes to visit Grandmother. I can't do anything!"_

 _"Look, Kira," Hagen sighed, "Father is working on a surprise for you. That's why this is taking so long. I promise it will be worth it."_

 _"I know, but can't I go with them, just this once? I won't wander off, I promise."_

 _"No. Kira, I told you either Father or I has to be there with you, it doesn't matter what you've previously told your friends. You can't go." Hagen looked at her seriously, hoping she would have the sense to listen to him._

 _"Fine," Kira said, rolling her eyes, "I'll ask them if we can go to the park instead."_

 _"Thank you." Hagen stood up and ruffled her hair, but she was too mad at him to react. He sighed and went back inside, flipping the 'closed' sign on the door to 'open' as he went._

 _As he was setting up shop, Hagen's mother came down the stairs, looking out the window at Kira sitting outside with her arms crossed._

 _"What did you say to Kira?" she asked curiously, 'She looks mad."_

 _Hagen looked up exasperatedly, "I told her she couldn't go to the forest with her friends since I couldn't be there with her. She said she'd ask them if they could go to the park instead."_

 _His mother hugged him, "You did the right thing; I know how you hate making her mad."_

 _"Yeah…I just hope she listens to me."_

 _Meanwhile, Kira was speaking with Thor and Loki, feeling very insignificant compared to the girl they had brought with them, who was much taller and clearly more athletic than she was._

 _"My brother said I can't go to the forest without him, so I can't go with you. Do you think we could go to the park instead?"_

 _"Oh, come on, Kira. What's the worst that could happen?" Thor asked, "Don't be a chicken. We're just going to be playing tag. We won't even go that far in."_

 _"Well…I suppose that as long as we stay near the edge it'll be okay…" Kira felt a twinge of guilt in her heart, but shoved it aside to make room for excitement. "Let's go!"_

 _While on their way to the woods, Thor introduced his four friends to Kira. A quiet Asian named Hogun, a loud red-haired boy named Volstagg, and a handsome blonde named Fandral who grinned at Kira when he was introduced. She also met Sif, the tall, athletic girl that was determined to be a warrior._

 _When they reached the edge of the forest, Thor faced his group of friends, grinning broadly. "Today we're going to be playing the ultimate game of tag in the woods. So…who's going to be 'it' first?"_

 _"I'll be 'it'," Volstagg stepped forward eagerly._

 _"Okay," Thor looked around at his friends like a general preparing his troops for battle, "We get a five second head start before Volstagg can come after us. Everyone ready? Scatter!"_

 _"One…two…three…" Kira heard Volstagg begin to count as everyone went in opposite directions. She ran to her left, frustrated at herself for wearing purple in the middle of a green forest._

 _Volstagg quickly caught sight of Kira and let out a loud roar as he began to chase his prey._

 _She laughed as she ran, looking back to make sure Volstagg was far enough behind her. Kira caught sight of a flash of red and saw Thor hiding in a bus, watching them. Changing tracks and running diagonally, she made sure Volstagg saw him too._

 _"Thor!" he growled, "You'd better run, 'cause I'm coming for you!" He began to chase after a surprised Thor, who had clearly not expected Volstagg to see him._

 _Kira sat against a tree trunk, breathing heavily. She heard a rustle on her right and watched as Loki crawled out of a bush._

 _"Nice trick," he grinned._

 _"What trick?"_

 _"Making Volstagg go after Thor instead of chasing you. You're good at improvising plans."_

 _"Thanks," Kira blushed, looking around the tree to make sure no one was coming after her or Loki, "You camouflage well," she returned the compliment, "I didn't even notice you until you moved."_

 _"Thanks, that's why green is my second-favorite color. It makes it easy to blend in."_

 _"I didn't think about that," Kira looked down at her own purple shirt._

 _"That's alright, you'll know for next time." Loki glanced up at the sound of a frustrated yell and sighed, "That would be Sif, I think Volstagg got her. She'll be coming after me next. Try not to get caught!" He waved to Kira and ran in the opposite direction of where the yell had come from._

 _Kira waited for another minute before following Loki into the open. She almost managed to evade Sif, but she tripped over a root while running and Sif quickly caught up to her._

 _"Tag!" Sif yelled proudly, once she had made sure Kira was okay._

 _"I'll get you back!" Kira retorted, grinning, as she stood and shook out her ankle. The pain had already begun to fade, so she followed Sif through the trees._

 _Eventually, when the sun was beginning to set, she caught sight of Loki and decided to try to tag him. "Loki!" she called, waving at him, "Have you seen Sif?"_

 _"No," he made his way over to her, "Why d-"_

 _"TAG!" Kira interrupted triumphantly, "I got you!"_

 _"You know what-" Loki chased her around the trees, the air filling with the sound of their laughter. Finally, Loki caught up to Kira, tackling her to the ground._

 _"You're it now!" He said, standing up hurriedly and keeping an arm's length distance in case Kira decided to lunge toward him._

 _"Ow!" Kira exclaimed, "My ankle." She tried to stand up, but her ankle buckled under her weight._

 _"Come on, Kira," Loki responded, "I'm not falling for that again."_

 _"I'm not kidding. I tripped over a root when Sif was chasing me and twisted my ankle. It started hurting again when you tackled me," she looked up at Loki, eyes watering from the pain._

 _"Okay…" Loki took a step towards her and when Kira didn't try to tag him, he got closer and examined her swollen ankle._

 _"You just sprained it. You'll be okay," he helped her up and let her lean on him, aware of the way Kira bit her lip to keep from crying out. "It's time to leave anyway," Loki said, looking up through the trees at the sun, "Let's go find Thor and the others."_

 _Kira and Loki wandered around for a few minutes before they caught up with Thor and everyone else._

 _"Are you okay, Kira?" Thor asked, concern evident in his voice._

 _"Sprained ankle," Loki answered for her, maneuvering around her as he helped her lean against a tree. "You know the way back, right?"_

 _"Ummm…well…." Thor suddenly found the ground very interesting, "I was hoping you would know."_

 _"This was your idea, Thor!" Loki said angrily, "We should have just gone to the park like Kira suggested. Now we're going to have to find our own way out. In the dark. Do you at least have a general idea of where to go?"_

 _"Yeah," Thor brightened up, "That way." He pointed over his shoulder, but then bit his lip anxiously, "Or…maybe it was that way."_

 _"Okay, okay," Sif got in between Thor and Loki, the latter looking as if he was about to strangle his brother. "Let's think this through. At most, it will take your parents until dark to realize we're missing. Then, give or take a few hours for them to find us. We just have to stay put until then."_

 _"Ummm…" Thor raised his hand, "I didn't exactly ask if we could go. So, my parents don't know where we are."_

 _"Great," Sif said sarcastically, "So no one's going to come looking for us?" Thor shook his head._

 _"My brother may come looking." Everyone looked at Kira hopefully, "If he looks for me at the park and I'm not there, he'll probably assume that I didn't listen to him and he'll check in here. He knows these woods like the back of his hand, he'll find us."_

 _"Okay," Sif let out a breath, "We'll just wait here then."_

 _…._

Kira walked back to her chambers, careful not to run into anyone this time, and sat down on her couch. She opened _Negotiating the Peace_ and began to read, pulled into the fictional elements of the historical book.

The next day, Kira woke up early to try to catch Astrid before she left. Carefully opening the bedroom door, she peeked out and caught sight of Astrid just as she was leaving.

"Astrid," Kira said, trying to get her attention. But, Astrid just slipped out the door without looking back.

Sighing, Kira debated whether to follow her or not. Was it really any of her business? In every single book from her childhood, the problems always started because the protagonist was curious. Eventually, her natural curiosity got the better of her logic. She followed Astrid down the corridor.

It was early enough in the morning that there was hardly a trace of the sun rising in the dark sky. The electric lights hadn't been turned on yet, so the only light source came from the occasional torch lining the walls.

Kira caught sight of Astrid's shadow as she turned the corner. Struggling to follow while at the same time keeping a safe distance, she waited until Astrid turned the next corner before following.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of watching, waiting, and following, Astrid stopped before an unassuming door. She glanced around nervously before slipping through, an action that forced Kira to hurriedly press herself up against the wall around the corner, hoping Astrid couldn't see her.

She waited a few moments before sneaking up to the door and pressing her ear against it.

"Are you sure it's her?" asked a tired voice. It sounded as if the fate of the world rested upon her shoulders.

"I am. It has to be. No one else could stand to be in his company for that long. Not after what he's done."

Kira heard a relieved sigh, "Then perhaps there is hope. For him and for all of us."


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: I am so sorry this took so long to write and put up. I have been very busy as of late. Anyway, here it is, enjoy! :)**

* * *

 **Chapter Six**

 _"_ _Can you go get Kira from the park?" Hagen looked up as his mother spoke, hurriedly finishing his job._

 _"_ _Sure." Looking out the window, he saw the bright yellow and orange streaks of dusk as they slid across the sky. There wasn't much daylight left, and Hagen had a feeling Kira wouldn't be waiting for him at the park._

 _Sure enough, when Hagen reached the park, there was no sign of Kira or her friends. Still, he took a quick walk around just to make sure they weren't hiding anywhere and then made his way to the woods._

 _There was about a half-hour of daylight left, but the thickness of the trees in the forest made it seem as if night had already fallen. Hagen flipped on the light he had brought with him and shined the beam on the ground, thankful the kids hadn't been covering their tracks. Mentally cursing Kira, he began to follow their winding trail._

 _…_ _._

 _Kira watched everyone uncomfortably, aware of the sunlight filtering through the trees as it dimmed. Thor and Loki were still arguing quietly to the side, avid gestures revealing their frustration. Sif was sitting alone against a tree with her eyes closed; clearly annoyed at the predicament they were in. Hogun, Fandral, and Volstagg were tossing rocks at each other, back and forth. Kira herself was still leaning against the same tree Loki had left her at, reluctant to put any pressure on her ankle._

 _She watched Loki and Thor argue, trying to read their lips as they whispered vigorously to each other. Eventually Loki looked up to find Kira watching him, looking as if he was trying very hard to not roll his eyes at Thor's arguments. His expression almost made Kira laugh, but the gravity of their situation kept her silent and all she could muster was a slim smile in his direction. Still, it was enough to make Loki grin in return and he spoke a few more words to Thor before walking over to where Kira was leaning, sighing exasperatedly._

 _"_ _Thor refuses to admit he's done anything wrong. This isn't the first time we've been in a situation like this because of his stupidity."_

 _"_ _What_ else _have you done?" This time Kira did laugh, curiously looking up at Loki._

 _"_ _There was that time when we snuck into the palace kitchens and managed to get ourselves locked in for the night…at least there was food…"_

 _Kira's laughs echoed into the night, shattering the silence like glass._

 _…_ _._

 _Hagen paused, listening intently through the silence. He could have sworn he had heard Kira laugh, but it had been so quick and sudden he was beginning to think he had imagined it._

 _He waited for a few seconds, but when the sound did not come again he continued along the trail. He had not gone five feet before it came again, and this time Hagen knew for a fact that it was Kira. It came from his left and he followed it down to where the kids were settled._

 _Hagen walked right up to Kira, not even admonishing the three boys for throwing rocks at each other. Loki saw him approaching first and correctly interpreted the set line of Hagen's jaw. He nudged Kira in Hagen's direction, prompting her to speak with him while he stood behind her._

 _"_ _I tried to convince them, I really did," Kira said to Hagen, "They wouldn't listen to me. You're not mad, are you?" She looked at Hagen with wide, pleading eyes, but he was too disappointed to pay them any mind. He frowned down at Kira until she looked away. "Get everyone together, I'll lead you out of here." Hagen directed the statement to Loki and then turned back to Kira, holding up a hand to forestall the excuses that Kira was about to say, "You're coming with home with me and you and Mother are going to have nice, long chat together."_

 _"_ _Okay…"_

 _"_ _Let's go." Hagen directed his beam of light into the trees and the kids followed him out of the woods._

 _…_ _._

Kira would have stayed by the door longer if footsteps had not begun to echo down the hallway behind her. She quickly stood and made her way down to library. She didn't want to be caught eavesdropping.

When she got there Arvid was nowhere to be found, so she took the stack of books sitting on his des k and began putting them back. This had become her main job to do once she got back from taking books to Loki, so she figured she might as well do some of it now while she had the free time.

Kira was almost done with the stack when Arvid came in looking tired and weary.

"I see you've already started on the books. Good for you. There'll be more for you when you get back." He held up the gold bracelet and Kira took it from him, fastening it onto her wrist.

"Rough night?" Kira asked, noting the dark circles around Arvid's eyes.

"Early morning," Arvid replied, "The Queen wanted to see me."

"Why would she want to see you this early in the morning?"

"She said it was important." Kira waited for him to elaborate, but he didn't.

"Oh. Well, I'll be back soon."

"Be careful," Arvid said, more out of habit than anything.

Kira walked down the corridor, unsure of what to expect. She'd never had a magic teacher, certainly not one that had previously tried to take over a realm. As she got closer to the dungeons, the anticipation got harder to bear until she thought her chest would burst.

She walked through the gold mesh, finding Loki reading in the same spot against the wall as always. Kira began to wonder if he ever moved while she was gone.

Knowing that no matter where she placed the books Loki would find some fault; Kira dropped them down onto the nearest table, forcing a loud thump out of them as they hit it wood.

"If you could refrain from making loud noises, it would be greatly appreciated. I am trying to read."

"You're going to be stuck in this cell for the rest of your life. Trust me, you'll have plenty of time to read," Kira responded, rolling her eyes at his complaints.

Loki responded by indolently flicking his wrist and making the books scatter across the room, just as he had done the day before. Kira looked around, exasperated, at the mess he had made, "We went over this yesterday. I. Don't. Have. Magic."

Loki finally glanced up at her, "That's why I'm teaching you."

"I fail to see how this is teaching me anything."

Loki looked at Kira, eyebrows raised, "Then maybe this will open your eyes." His gaze focused on her wrists and as she looked down Kira saw glowing green ropes wrap their way up her arm and around her torso, entwining her upper limbs together until she couldn't move them. When the ropes finally stopped twisting, the green glow surrounding them faded to black.

Loki eyed the ropes he had conjured, as if determining whether they would hold Kira tight enough. He nodded to himself, satisfied, and then addressed her, "Now, then. Escape. These shouldn't be above your level, they're quite flimsy, to tell you the truth." His eyes sparkled dangerously and Kira knew he was enjoying tormenting her. "Go on," he motioned innocently, returning to his book while Kira struggled against her bonds.

"I still don't see how this is teaching me," Kira said with gritted teeth, trying to find the knot that held the ropes together. There had to be an end to them, right? Something she could untie. Unfortunately, there wasn't one, and the ropes seemed to go on continuously.

"You _still_ don't see?" mocked Loki with fake sympathy, shaking his head sadly, "I suppose you just need more incentive. Maybe I should try this…" He picked up one of the books that were strewn all over the floor and examined it carefully, then, to Kira's horror, lit it on fire. Loki drew back his arm, grinning at Kira maliciously from his vantage point against the wall, and chucked it towards her, barely missing her shoulder.

"Come on, Kira," he murmured to himself so Kira couldn't hear him, grabbing another book and setting it aflame. "You know," Loki said, louder this time, "I've always hated books about knitting," he tossed that book at her too, dangerously close to her leg.

Kira had backed herself against the cell wall, the smell of burning paper filling her nostrils. She hated this. She hated him. _Why_ did she actually look forward to this? She dodged another fiery book as Loki threw it, noting dully that he had stood up.

"Let's try something else, shall we?" Loki suggested, "Something a little more _frightening…_ "

He reached out his hand so that his palm was facing downward and the floor of the cell began to glow green. Kira saw spindly legs crawl their way out of the floor and felt her heart drop into her stomach as they began to stretch towards her. Kira felt shivers climb up her back and closed her eyes. She was not about to deal with spiders now.

"Stop it!" she yelled, feeling her skin begin to heat up in fury. Before she knew it, she had crossed the room and had shoved Loki against the wall.

 _"What's so funny?"_

"Look down." Loki replied, a sly grin spreading across his face. Kira glanced down at her wrists and realized they were no longer tied by the black ropes he had conjured. Still grinning, Loki snapped his fingers and the fire licking at the books on the floor sizzled out, leaving them looking brand-new.

"About time too. I was beginning to worry you would never show any potential."


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: I apologize for how long this has taken me to write. I honestly thought this would be up much sooner. Anyway, here it is. :)**

* * *

 _Kira laid down on her bed after a long talk with her mother about honesty, discipline, and just being a good daughter in general. But, she had been too tired to pay much attention, and her mother had finally let her go to bed, although not without punishment. Kira groaned to herself at the thought of having to stay inside all day tomorrow._

 _She tried to fall asleep - she could barely keep her eyes open - but her mind was too awake and it kept playing and replaying her time with Loki and his friends._

 _Kira must have fallen asleep eventually, because she woke to the clink of rocks hitting her window. Sliding out of bed, she stepped across her room and glanced down at the grinning figure standing below her in her backyard._

 _"_ _What do you want?" she yelled down, half exasperated, half amused._

 _"_ _Do you want to come to lunch at the palace with Thor and I?" Loki called back, "Mother says she'd love to have you over."_

 _Kira sighed as she leaned out the window, "I can't. I have to stay inside all day today, it's part of my punishment for going to the forest with you last night."_

 _Loki's face fell for a second, but it quickly brightened up again, "Don't go anywhere," he called over his shoulder as he ran up the sidewalk and out of sight._

 _"_ _It's not like I can go anywhere," Kira grumbled to herself._

 _It only took Loki a few minutes to find what he was looking for and hop back into Kira's backyard, triumphantly holding it up to show her. It was the second book of her favorite series, "I thought we could read it together, since you're going to be stuck up there all day."_

 _"_ _Okay, but how are you…" Kira trailed off as she watched Loki scale their house wall using a creeping vine and pull himself up onto her window ledge. She stepped back hurriedly to give him room to climb out, staring at him slightly suspiciously. "Where did you learn to do that?"_

 _"_ _The palace gets boring sometimes," Loki said sheepishly, "You find ways to pass the time."_

 _"_ _Cool," Kira replied, sitting down on her bed and motioning for Loki to sit beside her. She opened the book and asked him, "Where did you leave off?"_

 _Loki reached over her and flipped to a place about two-thirds of the way through, "Here. I'm almost done with it."_

 _"_ _Oh, this is my favorite part in the whole book. It's amazing," Kira told Loki as she began to read aloud._

The next few days went by in pretty much the same fashion for Kira: Get up, head to the library, get a head start on her books for the day, bring Loki's stack of books to him, and continue with her magic lessons. Since the day Kira was able to burn through her ropes, Loki had thought up quite a few fire-related exercises for her that she was more-or-less able to complete.

"You're not concentrating," Loki said in frustration, "Watch me." He held his hand out in front of her so Kira could see the bright flame that had appeared above his palm. "See?" he said, closing his hand to put it out, "It's not that hard."

Kira glared up at him, "Maybe not for someone who's been studying magic for centuries."

"No need to get touchy," Loki smirked, leaning against the wall nonchalantly. "Go on," he gestured towards her, "It's your turn now."

Kira rolled her eyes before studying her palm, wishing the flame would just hurry up and appear.

"No, no, no!" Loki exclaimed, "You're doing it all wrong. You can't just _pray_ magic into existence, you have to _command_ it. Give it no choice but to obey you. _Then,_ it will do as you ask."

Kira exhaled sharply, "Maybe you could have started with that?"

"I thought it was common sense. Nothing is going to happen if you spend your time _asking_ for what you want. You have to take it for yourself."

"Yes, because that worked so well for you in Midgard."

" _Don't test me."_

Kira glared at Loki, initiating a stubborn staring contest neither person wanted to back down from. Finally, Kira conceded. "Fine," she said, flipping her hair dramatically. She tried to ignore Loki's satisfied smirk by keeping her gaze on her palm, this time _commanding_ the flame to appear. After several attempts Kira saw wisps of bright red and orange begin to dance across her palm, disappearing and then reappearing moments later. She concentrated harder on making them stay and gradually more wisps of fire joined them until Kira had a decently sized flame flickering above her palm.

"I did tell you…" Loki said smugly. "Now, close your hand and do it again."

Kira opened her mouth to protest, but then thought better of it, realizing that the only way to get better at magic was to keep practicing. So, she kept her mouth shut and closed her palm, extinguishing the flame. Then, she opened it and began to form it again. After what seemed like a hundred tries, Kira got her flame to appear instantaneously, earning herself a "finally" from Loki.

The next day, Kira walked into the cell and immediately met by Loki who plucked the top book out the stack in her arms. Unsure of what Loki was about to do with it, Kira stayed rooted in her spot, watching him carefully.

"Set the rest of the books there," he said, pointing to the table furthest from them. "Now, stay over there and conjure a flame. Good. I'm going to toss this book to you and you are going to throw the flame and set it on fire."

"Aren't there penalties for destroying the royal library's books?"

Loki rolled his eyes, "I don't know, you're the one who works there." He caught Kira's uneasy glance and heaved a sigh, "Fine. I will repair the books once you set them on fire. Actually," he paused, " _you_ will repair them. It'll be excellent practice. Now, let's get this over with." Loki tossed the book across the cell towards Kira who lobbed the flame at it – and missed entirely, setting Loki's bed on fire instead.

"I said throw it at the book, not the bed!" Loki waved his hand the fire disappeared, leaving a charred surface that he repaired with another wave.

"Let's try this again, shall we? This time aim for the book." Loki summoned the book back into his hand and threw it towards Kira who tossed her flame at it; hitting its corner and setting it alight before it hit the ground. "Now, put it out," Loki instructed her, watching her carefully as she concentrated.

"You're wishing again," he broke Kira's concentration, "I told you yesterday, you have to command it."

"Kira glanced up at Loki long enough to glare before settling her gaze back on the smoldering book, although with more intensity this time. Her gaze bore down on the flames and they began to die down, eventually disappearing entirely.

Loki looked faintly relieved she was able to accomplish the task, but covered it by giving her another instruction: "Now, fix it before dear Arvid comes in and murders me for letting you destroy one of his precious books."

Kira grinned at his dry remark, but quickly smothered it, reminding herself that she was supposed to be annoyed with Loki. She fixated her attention back onto the book, imagining the pages uncurl and restore themselves to their original length and color. When she was done, she looked down at the now-pristine cover, lifting the pages carefully and examining them. They were all in perfect condition.

As Loki watched her scrutinize her work, he felt what might be pride in Kira's accomplishments. As soon as he realized what it was, he tried to destroy it, he was just using Kira to pass the time. Still, it unnerved him and he ended the session early.

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	8. Chapter 8

Kira walked down the corridor, trying to figure out why Loki would end their session so early, it wasn't like he had anything else to do. She shook her head, he was so frustrating. Kira decided not to dwell on it anymore; it would only drive her crazy.

She was almost to her room when she ran into someone, _again,_ although this time it was more than just bumping into them. This time, Kira managed to crash headlong into them as they came out of the corridor to her left. Loki's books were knocked out of her arms and scattered across the marble floor. Looking up, Kira realized she had managed to run into the one and only—Thor.

Mentally berating herself for not paying attention, Kira tried to apologize, but Thor cut her off, looking at her curiously, "Forgive me, but do I know you? I would not be asking, but I do not think I have ever seen you around before."

"I just moved in a few weeks ago," Kira responded, "but I lived here when I was younger." Kira wondered if Thor was actually going to remember her.

Thor looked as if he was trying to grasp at a memory that kept evading him, and Kira decided to introduce herself, maybe then he would recognize her.

"My name is Kira, I work at the library—in case you couldn't tell," she gestured sheepishly to the books scattered all around them.

Realization dawned in Thor's eyes, "You were Loki's friend!" he exclaimed, "I remember now, we had many great adventures together."

Kira cringed at the memory of the game of tag in the forest, or rather of her punishment afterwards. "Yes, they were great, I had lots of fun."

"I remember when you left," Thor went on, partially oblivious to Kira's answer, "Loki refused to come out of his room for days. Eventually, Mother just…" he shook his head, as if he was clearing his thoughts, "Never mind. So, what brought you back to Asgard?"

"Well," Kira began, "after living in Alfheim for a few centuries, it began to get boring, but none of my family wanted to leave. My brother had gotten married and my mother and father were happy staying with my grandmother. So, I decided that I would leave as soon as I was old enough to support myself and I knew I wanted to come back here—the place I had had my first adventures."

"You seem to be a few years too late," Thor replied, "We've already had our fair share of adventures."

"So I've heard," Kira said, "What was it like on Midgard?"

"Very strange. They are an interesting race, the humans. Very fragile. They could never survive a feast like the one being held tomorrow. Well, except for Steve Rogers, perhaps…"

"There's a feast tomorrow?" Kira interjected curiously.

"Yes, you didn't know?" Thor looked surprised, as if everyone knew about it.

"No, I didn't. What is it for?"

"It's a celebration to commemorate the saving of Midgard from Loki's grasp. It will be very enjoyable! We were supposed to have it sooner, but Loki's trial got in the way." He said this sadly, and Kira believed Thor would much rather have his brother back than a feast in his name.

"Kira," Thor began abruptly, "Would you like to come to the feast? You may meet new friends there. You could even be my guest, if you like."

It took a few seconds for Thor's request to sink in, but those few seconds felt like an eternity. "Y-yes, of course," Kira stammered, "I wasn't really prepared for anything like this when I moved here, though, and I don't have a dress." Thor just waved Kira's concerns away, "Don't worry about that," he said, "I'll have someone drop off a dress at your quarters in the morning."

"Thank you," Kira responded, amazed by his generosity, "When is the feast?"

"There will be lunch around noontime and after that will be much singing and dancing until the evening where there will be dinner and then more dancing! I will come get you before noon. Now," he said, "I have to get these papers to Father; it was good seeing you again, Kira." With that he picked up her fallen books, placed them in her arms, and was on his way, leaving Kira to reflect on what had just happened.

….

The next day, Kira opened her door to find a package outside. When she opened it, she found a long purple dress with embroidered flowers creeping up the left side. Once again, she was amazed at Thor's generosity; the dress was beautiful.

Kira slipped it on and went down to the dungeons as usual, but soon she began to hear voices floating up the staircase.

"The books I sent, do they not interest you?" Kira recognized the female voice as the one she had overheard when she followed Astrid a few days ago.

"Is that how I am to while away eternity? Reading?" Kira heard Loki's voice and began to creep down the stairs, keeping to the edges so Loki couldn't see her.

"I've done everything in my power to keep you comfortable, Loki."

"Really?" asked Loki incredulously, "Furniture, books, and a brat of a girl I have to teach magic to? That is not comfort." Kira bristled at his comment, but reminded herself to bring it up later, she wanted to hear more.

"Have to? Loki, you _chose_ to teach her magic," the woman admonished.

"Only because I am _bored._ She is nothing more than a tool to quell my boredom, and to be quite frank, she isn't doing it very well."

"Do you not remember what your father-"

"He's not my father!" Loki shouted angrily, and the woman seemed to withdraw.

"Then am I not your mother?"

"You're not," he said quietly.

"Always so perceptive, about everyone but yourself." Kira could almost see the sad smile on the woman's face. Loki didn't say anything else, but Kira was too busy putting the pieces together to care. So the woman with Astrid had been Loki's mother. That would explain the exhaustion. But why was Astrid, a servant, talking to the queen of Asgard?

"Come out, Kira," Loki's sharp voice shook her out of her thoughts, "I know you're there."

Kira slipped out from against the wall and stepping into the cell, dropping the books on the table in front of her indignantly, " _Brat of a girl?_ " she asked, her voice dangerously inquisitive, " _Tool to quell boredom?_ "

"Don't be overdramatic," Loki rolled his eyes, but it wasn't playful this time like it normally was.

"I'll be overdramatic if I want to be," Kira's voice flipped from dangerously inquisitive to dangerously soft.

"Well, don't do it here!" Loki said angrily, "I don't want to have to deal with you too!"

" _Deal with me?_ I'm not a child!" Kira's voice grew louder with every statement.

"Then don't act like one!" Loki's voice grew to match hers.

"I'm not the one who decided to _try_ to take over a realm because he thought his family didn't love him! Look," she closed her eyes and took a deep breath before continuing, "Let's just calm down-"

"No," Loki broke in, " _you-"_

"What is wrong with you?" Kira interjected, "Why are you so upset about your mother visiting you? I'm surprised she even does it at all."

"That is none of your business," Loki said stiffly, "It's not as if you could understand it anyway."

"I'm trying to help," Kira said, frustration evident in her voice.

"Well, stop. I don't want help from a dull, un-teachable student who _thinks_ she can do magic."

"If I'm so hard to teach, then why are you still teaching me?" Kira demanded.

"I'm not. Does it look like we're having a lesson?"

"I thought I was your tool to 'quell your boredom'."

"I'll just have to find another one."

"Sorry to break it to you," Kira said, "but I _have_ to keep coming back. They won't let me quit. Trust me, I already tried. You're stuck with me."

Just then, Thor's voice floated in from outside the cell, "Kira, I thought you would be in the library. It's not safe for you to be alone in my brother's presence."

"Leave us alone, Thor. Can't you see we're in the middle of a lesson?" Loki said in annoyance.

Kira spun around to glare at Loki, "I thought I was ' _un-teachable'._ "

" _Shut up,_ " Loki hissed at her.

"What lesson?" Thor interrupted.

"Stay out of this, Thor, it doesn't concern you."

"If it concerns Kira, it concerns me," said Thor defensively.

"Can we just go now?" Kira interjected, eager to get away from Loki.

"Go where?" Loki asked, "I told you, we're in the middle of a lesson."

"To the feast," Kira replied shortly, "Let's go, Thor." She stepped smartly out of the cell, purposely ignoring Loki, and gestured for a slightly confused Thor to lead the way.

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	9. Chapter 9

Kira was able to walk for a few minutes in silence before Thor began to ask questions. "What were you doing in Loki's cell? How did you even get into Loki's cell?"

"I work at the library," Kira answered, "and part of my job is to bring Loki his books."

"That is a job for guards, not civilians."

Kira shrugged, "Well, they give it to me. They wouldn't even let me quit after Loki strangled me."

Thor winced sympathetically, "I am sorry for any trouble Loki has caused you. He's not the same as when we were younger."

"I don't think any of us are," Kira responded.

"That is true," Thor agreed, "I have learned many lessons since my childhood days. Speaking of lessons, you are taking lessons with Loki?"

"Magic lessons," Kira confirmed.

"You know he is only using you for his own purposes," Thor warned, "As much as I wish Loki was doing it out of the goodness of his heart, he always has a more selfish motive."

"I know," Kira said, "but it's not every day you get to learn magic, even if your teacher tried to take over Midgard."

Thor obviously didn't like her answer, but dropped the subject anyway.

By the time they reached the feast, there were already about a hundred Asgardians talking and laughing. Thor steered them towards a group of four people and Kira recognized them as his friends from childhood. Sif, Volstagg, Fandral, and Hogun glanced up as she joined them, looking at Thor curiously.

"Who is this?" Fandral asked, raising Kira's hand to his lips.

"This is Kira," Thor said while Kira tried to keep herself from laughing.

Sif rolled her eyes at Fandral's display and quickly introduced herself to Kira before leaving the group.

"Well, Thor," Fandral said, "If you won't dance with the lady, I will." He led her to the dance floor and placed his hand on her hip, leading her through the dance steps.

"You're very good at this," he grinned at her.

"I took some lessons," Kira admitted as Fandral turned her forwards and then back again.

"Let's make this more exciting, then." Fandral turned her so that she was facing him and her arm was behind his back and the same for him. Then, he lifted his arm for her to go under, turned and lifted his arm again, finally unwinding so they were facing each other again. Kira hardly knew what she had just done and she looked at Fandral, grinning breathlessly. He laughed at her, continuing to pull her around the dance floor. When the song ended, Fandral bowed deeply to her and walked off, most likely to find another girl to dance with. Kira had a stitch in her side and was slightly dizzy from all the quick turns, but was still grinning anyway.

She made her way towards the edge of the party, watching as a new round of partners took the dance floor. Thor had disappeared and Kira didn't know anyone else, so she just watched the dancing. A servant came by with drinks and Kira took one, leaning against a marble pillar just listening to the music.

She was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she didn't notice the tall man walking up until he was practically on top of her. He was tall, and had light brown-almost red-hair that was neatly cut. Kira glanced up at him as he smiled, "Care to dance?" he asked, holding out he hand to her. "Sure," Kira responded, setting down her drink and taking his hand.

"I'm Brandon, by the way," he said as they began to dance.

"I'm Kira," she replied.

"I'd normally shake your hand," Brandon laughed, "but we're dancing, so I can't."

"That's fine," Kira smiled, Brandon's laughter was contagious and she found herself laughing along with him.

"How comfortable are you when it comes to dancing?" Brandon asked her curiously.

"Relatively comfortable," Kira responded, "I took a few lessons when I was younger."

"I just wanted to make sure." He spun her around a couple times before asking, "Do you know the princess step?"

Kira shook her head, but went along with what Brandon said to do, stepping on his feet several times in the process, "Sorry." Brandon laughed, "It's fine," and just kept turning her, finally dipping her at the end.

He let her practice the move a few more times before saying, "Now, I'm going to teach you the aerial princess step." Kira glanced up at him warily; _aerial_ didn't sound like something she was prepared to do, but Brandon just waved her concerns away, "It's just the princess step, but instead of a dip at the end, you jump into my arms." Kira looked even more uneasy at this knowledge, but Brandon reassured her, "It's perfectly safe as long as your partner knows what he's doing, and I know what I'm doing. I'll catch you, I promise."

"You better," Kira said and she went along with the princess step, jumping into his arms when he told her to. He caught her and gently set her back down on the ground, "That wasn't so bad," he grinned.

"Do you work here?" he asked curiously as he and Kira continued dancing.

"I work at the library," Kira replied.

"I'm assuming you enjoy reading, then?"

"I do," Kira said.

"I wish I had more time to read," Brandon responded, "but when you are the Captain of the Guard, you don't get much time off."

Kira smiled sympathetically, "What do you like to read?"

"I enjoy history books, I find them quite fascinating and you learn a lot from them."

"I've always been more the fairy tale type," Kira said, "princesses and dragons and other creatures of that sort."

"I can assure you, dragons are not the most pleasant of creatures," Brandon laughed, "We once had to fight one off that wanted all of Asgard's gold for himself."

"How did you manage to stop him? Dragons are one of the most fearsome creatures."

"We just lured him into one of Asgard's treasure vaults and locked him in. He is still there as far as I know."

Kira shook her head in disbelief, "That's amazing."

The song was over too soon and Brandon turned her once more before saying goodbye, "You were wonderful," he said, "I'm honored." Kira hardly knew what to say back, so she just smiled and watched him walk away, trying to deny the flower that had begun to blossom in her heart.

When she walked back to her spot at the pillar, Thor had reappeared. "I see you've met Brandon, our Captain of the Guard," he said.

"Yes," replied Kira, "he's very nice."

"He is also one of our best warriors, you would do well should you be courted by him," Thor added meaningfully.

"I don't know about that…" Kira said.

"He holds a decent amount of power in my father's council," Thor pressed, "you wouldn't have to bring Loki his books any longer."

"But, Thor, I enjoy my job," Kira said, "even if Loki can be hard to handle sometimes."

Thor shrugged, "As long as you're happy, Kira."

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	10. Chapter 10

**AN: Thank you to everyone who has continued to read throughout these ten chapters! I know I haven't been updating on a regular schedule, but I don't plan on discontinuing the story anytime soon. Please follow and favorite, but especially review. Some constructive criticism would be greatly appreciated.**

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The next morning, Kira woke up late. Throwing on her clothes, she ran bleary-eyed out the door, still trying to wake herself up.

When she reached the library, Arvid was waiting for her, an unreadable expression on his face. "You won't be able to get a head start on your books today," he said, "Loki will be expecting you soon."

Kira grimaced at the thought of having to see Loki again, but grabbed the books and trudged down the corridor to his cell. There, she found Loki back in his original position: reading against the wall. Kira dropped the books down on the table with a loud thump, waiting for him to look up. He didn't. She stood in front of him and cleared her throat loudly. When Loki still didn't respond, she hesitantly began her prepared speech, "So…we need to talk about what happened yesterday…"

Loki glanced up at her, but just as quickly went back to his book. By now, Kira had realized that Loki was giving her the silent treatment, and she put her hands on her hips defiantly. "You can't ignore me forever, you know."

"I just don't see what it is we need to talk about," Loki finally acknowledged her.

"You can't just ignore all of your problems, Loki," Kira patronized, "You have to confront them head-on."

"This isn't about ignoring my problems. I just don't understand why you would want to talk about our argument. What's done is done."

"So, no more lessons then?" Kira asked slyly.

"Well, perhaps we could-" Loki was cut off mid-sentence by the sight of a man outside his cell.

"Brandon!" Kira exclaimed, quickly stepping outside to greet him.

"Hello, Kira," Brandon said, "I went by the library because I was looking for you, but they said you were down here." He didn't appear to be frightened of Loki, but clearly did not like the idea of Kira being alone with him.

"Part of my job is to bring Loki his books," Kira explained. "I know, I know," she said hastily, catching Brandon's sideways glance, "it's not a job for civilians, but really, I don't mind it."

"I don't mean to interrupt this heartwarming gathering," Loki interrupted, "but, Kira, could you possibly _not_ keep up this trend of bringing random men into my prison?"

"Hello to you too, Loki; I was just going to ask Kira a question. I'll leave immediately after," Brandon explained graciously.

"Get on with it, then," Loki said bad-temperedly.

Brandon tactfully ignored Loki's snide remark and instead continued his conversation with Kira, "I had a great time with you at the dance and I was wondering if you would like to go out with me sometime. It doesn't have to be serious; it would only be so that we can get to know each other."

Kira could practically see Loki's eye roll from behind her, "I'd love to. When do you want to do it?"

"Why don't we do it now? I will be off duty for lunch."

"Alright," Kira felt awkward leaving Loki immediately after they had just been in conversation. Brandon seemed to realize her discomfort and added, "I'll wait for you in the library, if that's alright?"

"Yes, that's fine," Kira said eagerly and she couldn't keep the smile off her face when she turned back into Loki's cell. "We were just discussing lessons, right?" she asked, feeling slightly awkward knowing that Loki had overheard her and Brandon's conversation.

"Yes, before we were rudely interrupted by your new pet." Loki sounded decidedly more bitter than when Kira had first walked in that day.

"I just met him yesterday, and he's certainly not my 'pet'," Kira caught Loki's gaze, "Why don't we just get back to talking about the lessons?"

"Very well," Loki dropped the subject and stood up from his vantage point against the wall. "Would you like to continue them?"

"Well, seeing as if I didn't you would have to find another way to 'quell your boredom', I think I would."

"You're not still upset about that, are you? I only said it to get my mother off my back."

"Really?" asked Kira, "And you didn't think to tell me?"

Loki just shrugged, realizing their conversation was heading back into dangerous waters, "It never crossed my mind."

Kira just sighed, "So what am I going to be learning today?"

Loki thought for a moment, he hadn't been anticipating this. To be honest, he hadn't anticipated Kira coming back at all. Sure, she had said he was stuck with her, but it would be hilariously easy to get a guard to do her job for her, especially now that she was such good friends with Brandon, the Captain of the Guard.

Why did that bother him? Why was he so upset that Kira had found someone as annoyingly _good_ as she was. It's not as if he had feelings for her. Gods, no. It had to be because she was his property, nothing more and nothing less.

"Illusions," he decided, "I've gotten bored of playing with fire, at least for now. We will start with conjuring an illusion of an object and then we'll move on to conjuring an illusion of you that can communicate with others."

"That's how your mother got into your cell the other day, isn't it?" Kira asked him.

"Yes…" Loki seemed eager to get of the topic of his mother, so Kira took pity on him and dropped the subject.

Loki picked up a book from the top of the pile and dropped it at Kira's feet. It had a beautiful blue cover with gold embellishments. Loki stretched out his hand to the space beside it and the air shimmered green for a second before an exact replica of the blue book appeared. Kira knelt down beside it and reached out her hand to touch it, but her touch just caused the illusion to flicker green and her hand went right through it.

"Your turn," Loki said, and the illusion disappeared.

Kira closed her eyes and stretched out her hand just as she had seen Loki do and pictured an exact replica of the book in her mind. She opened her eyes to find an illusion of the book before her…except for the fact that it was at most half the size of the original.

"And that is why we don't close our eyes when forming illusions." Loki said dryly, "It's a common mistake and easily fixed by keeping your eyes _open."_

"You could have told me that sooner," Kira muttered under her breath, but kept her eyes open as she stretched out her hand again; and this time when the illusion appeared, it was the correct size.

"Better," Loki said, and Kira realized that was as much approval as she was going to get from him.

"Thank."

"Now we're going to move on to-"

"Actually," Kira interrupted, "I have to go. I don't want to keep Brandon waiting any longer."

"Of course," Loki said, his tone void of any anger or even reluctance, and Kira couldn't help but be a little disappointed by his lack of reaction, although she knew she shouldn't be surprised. She made her way back to the library, expertly shoving Loki out of her thoughts.

When Kira arrived, she saw Brandon and a guard standing outside the library doors. Their conversation must have been very humorous because their laughter echoed down the corridor.

"Kira!" Brandon waved warmly, a grin still present on his face. "I would like you to meet Nathaniel, my best soldier-"

"Who just happens to be your best friend," Nathaniel cut in with a huge impish grin, shaking Kira's hand enthusiastically. Kira liked him instantly, his eyes sparkled with laughter and there was something refreshing about his optimistic nature, especially after spending so much time around Loki. Not that Loki wasn't interesting to be around, Kira reminded herself, but he wasn't the warmest person in the world; in stark contrast to Brandon and now Nathaniel.

"So nice to meet you," Kira said, and as with Brandon, Nathaniel's laughter was infectious.

"You too," he said and turned to Brandon saying loud enough for Kira to hear, "How in all the nine realms did you manage to convince her to go out to lunch with you?"

Brandon elbowed him hard in the ribs, but that only made Nathaniel's grin widen. Kira blushed and smiled, "It didn't take much convincing, Nathaniel."

"Oh, I see…" he winked at her. "You can call me Nate, by the way. But are you _sure_ Brandon didn't coerce-"

Once again, Brandon elbowed him good-humoredly, "I did no such thing, and besides, don't you have somewhere to be?" He looked pointedly at Nate.

"Right, of course," Nate rolled his eyes at Brandon and blew a playfully flirtatious kiss at Kira as he walked away.

"I'm sorry about him," Brandon apologized as he tried to keep from grinning at Nate's antics.

"It's fine," Kira laughed, "I think he's funny."

"That's a good thing, I suppose. Do you have any preference to where we go for lunch?"

"I don't really know any of the places here," Kira confessed, "I haven't lived here for a few centuries."

"Really? That would explain why I've never seen you around before. Well then…" He quickly racked his brain for a nice place they could go to. "Mistress Beluthra's Café of Fine Mead is one of the most popular restaurants in Asgard. Would you like to go there?"

"Sure, it sounds wonderful."

Mistress Beluthra's Café of Fine Mead was a cute restaurant off of Hilles Street. It looked almost like a posh rustic cabin with its wooden walls and plush turquoise and gold pillows. Kira even saw a sparkling chandelier hanging from the rafters.

The moment Brandon and Kira were through the door, they were immediately met by a round, motherly woman who grabbed Brandon (who was a good head-and-a-half taller than her) and enthusiastically hugged him to her bosom. Looking over Brandon's shoulder, she caught sight of Kira and her eyes immediately lit up.

"Well, I'll be a Pegasus' behind!" she exclaimed. "Brandon, honey, who is this gorgeous child you've brought with you?"

"This is Kira," Brandon introduced her once he could breathe again.

"Well, hello Kira. I'm Mistress Beluthra, welcome to my café!" She hugged Kira as well and Brandon shot her an apologetic glance.

"Come on, dears, I'm going to find you a nice romantic spot…" She turned to Kira, "Did you know I've known Brandon since he was a little boy? He was always so sweet. He used to come in with his friends and that boy, Nathaniel," she pursed her lips disapprovingly when she said his name.

"I like Nathaniel," Kira said in defense and Mistress Beluthra looked at her sympathetically, "You'd do best to stay away from him. I'm just saying-" she cut off Brandon's protests, "that boy's a troublemaker. But what do I know? I'm just an old café owner." Brandon shot Kira such an exasperated look she had to cover her giggles.

"Here we are," Beluthra stopped at a corner table. "Hmmm, I'd better get you two a candle; it's more romantic that way." She tapped her nose knowingly, "I should know, all the couples that had a candle on their first date ended up getting married!" She nudged Brandon and added in a loud whisper, "You had better get to saving for that ring, she's a keeper!" Kira looked down and pretended she hadn't heard.

"It's our first date!" Brandon whispered back fervently, "I told her it was just so we could get to know each other."

"Now why would you do that?" She frowned and shook her head, "Boys these days. I'll just go and get that candle now."

"Please do," Brandon murmured and Kira couldn't help but laugh. Mistress Beluthra overheard them and smiled to herself, they would make a truly wonderful couple. She could just see it.

* * *

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	11. Chapter 11

That night, Kira tried to fall asleep. She tossed and turned, but her mind kept replaying the date in her head. The walk over to Mistress Beluthra's Café, the hours of conversation she and Brandon had, and then when he dropped her off at her rooms. Kira grinned at the memory. The atmosphere at turned static for a moment, but the uncertainty was quickly over when Brandon's warm embrace enveloped her. " _Have a nice night, Kira,"_ he had said, and was gone before she could respond, leaving behind a warmth that spread from Kira's stomach all the way to the ends of her fingers and toes.

Kira woke up the next morning, still feeling warm inside from the date. Even the sight of an irritated Loki couldn't dampen her euphoria.

"Kira!" Loki said irritably, "You're late. And why are you smiling like that? You look like an idiot."

"Good morning to you too," Kira responded lightly, and Loki rolled his eyes.

"I take it the date went well, then?" Did that bother him? No, of course not. Kira was just being annoyingly happy.

"Very well." Kira felt like dancing.

"Wonderful," Loki's voice held a hint of sarcasm. "Let's start where we left off yesterday." He dropped a book at her feet, "Conjure an illusion of that book." Kira managed to do it successfully on the second try, but Loki still made her practice it until it became second nature to her. Naturally, it didn't take long for Kira to become tired of basic illusions.

"So, when am I going to learn how to conjure an illusion of myself?" she asked.

"When I say you're ready."

"But I'm tired of making illusions of books," Kira complained.

"Fine." Loki threw the book at her. "Burn it."

"Easy." Kira's hands caught fire and the flames licked at the book in her grasp, curling the edges.

"Well done. Now, shoot your flames at these." He picked up three books in his arms and tossed them into the air.

Kira, caught by surprise, threw her flames at the books, barely aiming, and missed at but one. One of her flames hit Loki's bed, catching the green blankets on fire.

"Pay _attention_ ," Loki rolled his eyes and extinguished the flames.

"You had it coming," Kira was painfully aware that this was not the first time she had set Loki's bed on fire.

"Probably," Loki grinned, and to Kira's amazement, formed his own snowball, pitching it at her. She used her fire to melt it before it hit the ground, water streaking on the floor. Kira formed a fireball and tossed it at Loki, who evaporated it with a wave of his hand. This went on for a while, neither side truly wanting to hurt the other.

Loki grinned as Kira's fireball whizzed past him, and retaliated by shooting and ice dagger at her. He watched her eyes widen in surprise at this switch from softer snowballs, but melted it all the same. Her lips curved in satisfaction as the water splashed on the floor. They were both too busy with their fight to notice the two figures that had just walked into the dungeon, looking less than amused.

"Loki," Thor's voice thundered. "What is the meaning of this?"

"It was just a bit of fun," Loki spread his hands innocently.

"The cell is _smoking,"_ Brandon cut in.

Loki pointed to Kira, "Don't look at me, that was all your new girlfriend."

Brandon's cheeks began to resemble that of a strawberry, and Thor took pity on him, addressing Loki, "I'm afraid we won't be able to allow Kira back for a while."

"Come now, Thor, it was all a game. You know I would never-"

"I don't know what you would or wouldn't do anymore, Loki."

"Hold on," Kira cut in, "I was never in any danger. Also, isn't it my choice to come back?"

"It depends on what the Queen wishes," Brandon replied.

"What has Mother got to do with this?" Loki interjected, his temper rising by the second.

"Nothing," Thor covered quickly.

"What are you hiding from me, Thor?" Loki's voice began to take on a dangerous tone.

"Leave it alone, Loki." Thor changed the subject, "Kira will not be coming back, and there's nothing you can do that will change that."

"And I suppose I don't get any say in this?" Kira put her hands on her hips. Both Brandon and Thor gave her apologetic looks.

"I'm sorry, Kira," Brandon said.

"But this has gone too far," Thor finished. "Come now, Kira. We'll escort you back to your rooms."

"I don't need to be 'escorted' like a prisoner," Kira let the snap in her voice penetrate. "I need to take Loki's books back to the library anyway." She grabbed the books off of the table, waving her hand to distinguish the flames and smoke, and stalked out of the cell. Loki watched as Brandon shot Thor a look and went after her.

Now it was just Thor and Loki. They hadn't been alone together since Loki had fought him on Stark Tower. Unfortunately, the tension between them was still very much present, and Thor could feel Loki's gaze bearing down on him.

"Does Mother have anything to do with Kira?"

"Loki-"

"Answer me." Loki's voice was not raised, nor did it hold contempt or anger or anything Thor had been expecting. It just sounded tired. And sad.

"Yes."

Loki sighed and sat down in his chair, waving his hand to put everything back in its place, sparkling clean. "Why?"

"I-I don't know," Thor said.

"Don't lie. I know when you're lying. You're terrible at it."

"I can't tell you."

"And _why not?"_ This was more like the Loki Thor had been used to seeing as of late.

"Because I'm not the right person to do it."

"And I suppose Mother is?" Loki sighed at Thor's nod and rested his head in his hands.

"Brother-" Thor began hesitantly, "Do you like Kira?" Loki's head shot up at this question, his expression carefully incredulous.

"And why would you say that?"

"Well, because you seem rather upset at her leaving." Thor shifted uncomfortably as Loki watched him. Feelings and emotions were not his strong suit; he always left that to his mother.

"She is my only company. Unless, of course, you count these lovely creatures you keep bringing me." Loki gestured to the people in the cells next to him.

"Of course," Thor replied, definitely unconvinced, but aware that if he pushed any further, Loki would deny any positive feelings he had towards Kira.

"I must go," Thor said lamely, trying to find a good way to leave. Loki's head was back in his hands, and he just waved Thor on, not even looking up. Everything was falling apart; even more than it already had.

...

 _Kira sat in her room, fingering the book in her grasp. She and Loki had just finished reading it and Loki had left her room via the window, excitedly telling her he would be back tomorrow._

 _Kira paced up and down on her floor, half-heartedly trying to figure out what Loki could be so excited about. It could be something for her birthday, but Kira couldn't remember telling him about it._

 _She stopped in her tracks as a knock sounded on her door. Her mother poked her head in, catching sight of her restless daughter. She sat down on the bed and gestured for Kira to join her._

 _"So...tomorrow's your birthday."_

 _"Yes." Kira said, eager to see where this was going._

 _"Normally I'd wait until your actual birthday to give you your present, but this one is special. That definitely peaked Kira's interest._

 _Kira's mother saw the anticipation in her eyes, "We're leaving early tomorrow to go live with Grandmother in Alfheim!"_

 _At first Kira was excited, she rarely got to see her grandmother, and now she was going to go_ live _with her, but once her mother left, she thought about Loki and Thor. She would never get to see them again._

Don't go anywhere, _Loki had told her, and although he had been teasing,Kira knew how disappointed he would be if she left without saying goodbye. Running down the stairs, she hurriedly asked her mother when they would be leaving._

 _"Early tomorrow morning," her mother said, "So be ready and start packing your most important items now. The rest of our stuff will come later."_

 _Kira nodded sullenly, realizing there would be no time to say goodbye to Loki and Thor tomorrow._

 _"Mother?" she asked, "Can I go to the palace and say goodbye to Loki and Thor?"_

 _Her mother looked at her suspiciously, technically Kira's punishment wasn't over yet, but she could tell those boys were important to her, so she gave Kira an hour._

 _"Oh, thank you, Mother!" Kira made sure to give her a big hug before leaving._

 _Loki knocked on his mother's door, trying to contain his excitement. He rushed in right as the door opened, looking at Frigga pleadingly._

 _"You said Kira's birthday is tomorrow," he began, "but I don't have anything to give her." Frigga looked into his shining eyes and decided he already had at least a few ideas._

 _"Do you have any ideas?" she prompted._

 _"Well," Loki began to speak rapidly, he had clearly given this a lot of thought, "there's this series Kira and I have been reading—it has three books in it—but Kira hasn't been able to get the third one. Do you think we could give it to her?"_

 _"Of course," Frigga said. "Have you checked the library for it?"_

 _"Yes, but we don't have it. I was wondering if I could somehow get it from somewhere else." Loki's eyes were pleading._

 _Frigga thought for a moment, "What is the series called?"_

 _"The Dragon Riders," Loki answered promptly._

 _"I know of a place," she said. "But it will take a while to get there," she warned Loki, who had begun to hop up and down in excitement._

 _"I don't care," Loki replied. "As long as I can give it to her tomorrow."_

 _Her mother looked at her suspiciously, technically Kira's punishment wasn't over yet, but she could tell those boys were important to her, so she gave Kira an hour._

 _"Oh, thank you, Mother!" Kira made sure to give her a big hug before leaving._

 _Loki knocked on his mother's door, trying to contain his excitement. He rushed in right as the door opened, looking at Frigga pleadingly._

 _"You said Kira's birthday is tomorrow," he began, "but I don't have anything to give her." Frigga looked into his shining eyes and decided he already had at least a few ideas._

 _"Do you have any ideas?" she prompted._

 _"Well," Loki began to speak rapidly, he had clearly given this a lot of thought, "there's this series Kira and I have been reading—it has three books in it—but Kira hasn't been able to get the third one. Do you think we could give it to her?"_

 _"Of course," Frigga said. "Have you checked the library for it?"_

 _"Yes, but we don't have it. I was wondering if I could somehow get it from somewhere else." Loki's eyes were pleading._

 _Frigga thought for a moment, "What is the series called?"_

 _"The Dragon Riders," Loki answered promptly._

 _"I know of a place," she said. "But it will take a while to get there," she warned Loki, who had begun to hop up and down in excitement._

 _"I don't care," Loki replied. "As long as I can give it to her tomorrow."_


	12. Chapter 12

"Kira!" Brandon called, lengthening his stride to catch up with her. She ignored him, and it wasn't until he caught up with her and grabbed her purple sleeve that Kira looked at him. Her expression was void of emotion, as if nothing had happened, and somehow that hurt Brandon more than anything.

"Kira," he said imploringly. "Please understand where we're coming from."

"I do understand." Kira's light tone was obviously fake, "Loki is a scheming murderer and you're just trying to keep me safe from him."

"Yes. Loki is dangerous. You shouldn't have even been there in the first place." Brandon knew he was probably making things worse by pushing the topic, but he couldn't stand the thought of Kira being mad at him. He had to at least try to work things out.

"That's what you keep saying," Kira pulled her sleeve out of his grip.

"Look, I know you're mad about this-"

"I'm not mad."

Brandon looked at her incredulously, but continued anyway, "Just let us talk to the Queen, alright?"

"What does the Queen have to do with any of this?" Kira asked in frustration.

"It involves both her sons," Brandon pointed out, but Kira just shook her head.

"They're full-grown and can take care of themselves. So can I," she added.

"I know, I know," he said. "But Loki is just too unpredictable. I don't want to see you get hurt."

"What if you keep watch?" Kira asked suddenly. "That way I can continue with my magic lessons and you won't have to worry about me since you'll be right there."

Brandon thought about it. He was eager to reach a solution without a shouting match, but he was reluctant to make a decision without consulting Thor.

"Let me talk to Thor first," he said cautiously, noting how Kira's lips pressed into a line. He took her by the shoulders gently, "I'll come by tonight and let you know what he said, alright?"

"Alright," Kira said, and Brandon hugged her to him.

"Please don't hate me," he said, amused.

"I don't hate you!" she protested. "You're just a little daft sometimes."

He laughed at that and turned to leave. He was eager for the evening when he would see her again. For now, he had to plan the surprise.

….

 _Kira walked into the palace, still awestruck by its size. It only took a few moments for her to realize that Loki could be literally anywhere and she had no clue where his quarters were._ But I do know where his mother's are, _she realized._ I can just ask her. _She set off in the direction of Frigga's quarters, confident at first, but soon she found the hallways practically identical and was walking in circles in no time at all. Fighting to swallow the anxiety rising in her throat, Kira stopped walking and tried to think of a way out._

 _"Aren't you Loki's friend?" a voice asked, and Fandral jogged towards her._

 _Grateful that someone had found her, Kira nodded. "Do you know where he is?"_

 _"Loki? He and the Queen left a few minutes ago. They won't be back for a while."_

 _"I can't stay that long, I only have an hour." Fandral saw the disappointment in Kira's gaze and offered to help, "Would you like me to give him a note?"_

 _"Yes, yes, thank you." Kira took the paper offered to her and began to write quickly, explaining where she was going and that she wouldn't be coming back for a while. Signing it off, she folded the note into quarters and gave it to Fandral._

 _"Don't forget to give this to him," she reminded him._

 _"I won't, don't worry," Fandral said with an easy smile._

 _"Thank you so, so much." Kira gave him a quick hug and then turned to leave. She took two steps before she realized she had no clue how to get out of the palace._

 _"Could you show me the way out?" she asked sheepishly, and Fandral grinned._

 _…._

 _The next morning, Loki woke up early, eagerly grabbing the wrapped present at his bedside. He hurried out of the palace, hardly stopping to say good morning to his mother._

 _He knew he was making a scene as he ran down the sidewalk to Kira's house, but was too excited to care. Finally, he stopped at her door, breathlessly trying to fix his rumpled clothing. Once he admitted to himself that nothing short of an iron would get the wrinkles out of his tunic, Loki took a deep breath and knocked on Kira's door, preparing himself for Hagen's passive-aggressiveness. But no one came._

 _Loki knocked again and then waited…and waited. Still, no one came to the door. Now he was getting worried. He glanced in the windows of the bookstore for the first time, and realized the books that were usually stacked neatly on bookcases were gone. An unwelcome thought began to form in the back of Loki's mind, but he pushed it away._ Kira would never leave without saying goodbye, _he told himself._

 _He decided to ask one of Kira's neighbors where she was. The bakery on the left of the bookstore was already open, so Loki went in there. The doorbell jingled cheerfully as he walked in and headed straight for the counter._

 _"How can I help you, young man?" the baker asked kindly._

 _"The bookstore on the right," Loki began, "where have the owners gone?"_

 _"Oh, them? Why, they left for Alfheim. Rather suddenly if you ask me." The baker looked at Loki's shocked expression and took pity on him, "They're headed for the Bifrost, so if you really need something from them, I imagine they're not too far ahead, and they're traveling at a pretty leisurely pace. You could probably catch up with them if you tried."_

 _"Thank you, sir." Loki hurried out of the shop, a part of him still refusing to believe that Kira was leaving him. He sprinted back to the palace, hurriedly mounting one of the pre-saddled horses from the stables and urging it in the direction of the Bifrost._

 _With the wind whipping in his ears from the speed of the horse, Loki could hardly think straight, yet somehow Kira still filled his head. He had to blink away tears at the thought of her leaving him, even though he had really only known her a little over a week._

 _He paused when he reached the Rainbow Bridge, and was able to see Kira and her family as they slowly trotted towards where Heimdall was waiting for them._

 _Urging his horse into a gallop, Loki followed the family, keeping a firm grip on the book. Even now, he realized he would never make it by the time they stepped into the golden globe at the end of the Bridge._

 _"Kira!" he called in vain._

 _The family stopped before the globe. Hagen was the first to step in._

 _"Kira!" Loki tried again._

 _Kira's mother stepped in, holding her hand._

 _"Kira!" Loki tried one last time, and this time Kira looked back just as she was about to follow her mother. He saw tears running down her cheeks and the sight of them made his heart ache. He blinked back tears of his own, struggling to put up a dam to keep them from falling._

 _"Kira, don't leave!" Loki begged. "Don't leave me! You're my only true friend!"_

 _That just made Kira cry harder, but she forced a smile as her mother tugged her arm into the globe._

 _"Kira, wait!" Loki slid off his horse, clutching her present in his arms. "Kira, I-"_

 _But Kira's mother had pulled her into the globe, and she had only time for one sad, small wave before the doors shut behind her._

 _The dam Loki had tried so hard to keep together finally broke, and tears dripped steadily onto the purple wrapping paper of Kira's unopened birthday gift._


	13. Chapter 13

**AN: I'm back...after many months. This story kept haunting me, so I started working on it again. I've got it all planned out...just need to write it. Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter Thirteen:**

Loki paced up and down his cell, thoughts of Kira, Brandon, and Thor occupying his mind. He slammed his fist against the wall. Why did everything have to be so _complicated?_ Why couldn't people just be honest and open towards him?

 _Because you're never honest and open toward them,_ his mind whispered.

Loki growled.

"Loki?"

He froze, still facing the wall with his fist up against it. He straightened and turned around, forcing a smile.

"Hello, Mother." His smile was slipping into a grimace.

"I-I wanted you to know that I am allowing Kira to come back. But under one condition," Frigga added hastily. "Thor and Captain Bromsson have requested to be present whenever she does."

"Of course they have," Loki muttered under his breath. "Kira's precious boyfriend just _has_ to keep an eye on her at all times."

Frigga tilted her head. "And what would you do if you were in his position?"

Loki was silent. Of course he wouldn't want Kira taking magic lessons from a murderer. But he wasn't about to say that.

Frigga knew her son well enough to know when she had won an argument, and she moved on from the topic.

"The library situation with Kira wasn't the only thing your brother spoke to me about," she said. "He also mentioned that you had... _questions."_

Yes. Yes, he did. He had quite a few of them, and each was carefully rehearsed in his head. Yet, his mind still blanked as Frigga watched him expectantly.

"What do you have to do with Kira?" Loki mentally kicked himself. That was not how he had planned their conversation to begin.

His mother sighed. "Kira and I...go back a long time. She used to live here, in Asgard, years ago until her family moved to Alfheim when she was still a young girl."

"But why are you involved _now?_ Why are you so interested in her? It can't just be because you actually _care._ " Loki's voice was scathing, and a surge of satisfaction flooded through him when his mother winced, followed almost immediately by guilt that he immediately tried to repress.

"But I do care. I care because while Kira was living here in Asgard, you became close friends with her. She brought out a side of you no one else had before. Even though that friendship was short-lived." She hesitated, then handed him a slip of scrap paper. Loki reached out to take it, startled. He had thought his mother was just an illusion, but here she was, actually standing in his cell. His fingers brushed against hers for the first time in years as he took the paper. It was old and yellow with age, but the writing was still legible. It read:

 _Dear Loki,_

 _My family is moving to Alfheim. Permanently. I wish I had known sooner, so I could say goodbye in person, but I only found out I was moving now, and I cannot wait for you to come back to the castle from wherever you are. I wish you the best of luck and I hope we may see each other again._

 _Love,_

 _Kira_

Loki reread the hastily scribbled note. It was so short. But it tore at him. Frigga waited anxiously for his response. Finally, he looked up.

"Why can't I remember this?" he asked softly.

"It's been a long time since you have seen her," Frigga answered quickly. Too quickly. Loki's eyes narrowed.

"Tell. Me. The truth." Every word was carefully, _precisely,_ pronounced.

His mother closed her eyes, every line on her face filled with pain. She pulled up a chair in front of the one Loki usually occupied and gestured for him to sit down. He hesitated, but took the seat.

"You...can't remember Kira because...after she left, you..." Frigga sighed and laughed hollowly at her loss for words. "There's no easy way to say this. I erased Kira from your memory."

She glanced up at Loki, waiting for some sort of outburst or reaction. But Loki didn't know how to react. He wanted to yell, scream, cry, destroy something, yet at the same time, he felt a strange calm blossom in his chest, like the calm before the storm. He soaked it in. At last, a straightforward answer to at least one of his questions. He was still angry, still upset, but he didn't move.

"Can I get them back?"

His mother hesitated. "Yes...however, it won't be nearly as easy as taking them away."

"And how easy was taking them away?" Loki met Frigga's gaze challengingly, and she looked away sadly.

"Easier than it should have been. But I did it for you, Loki," she insisted. "You don't understand. You spent most of your time in your quarters, overlooking the Bifrost. You would sit at the window for hours at a time, speaking to no one. I had to do something. _I was losing my son."_

Loki stared fixedly at his hands that were folded in his lap, clenching and unclenching them. He felt the storm coming; felt it rise in his throat, threating into overcome him in a haze of red. He wanted to wrap himself in its fury; it was comfortable, it was _familiar._ But he couldn't. He thought of Kira and how he might lose her again if he exploded on his mother. Loki suddenly realized how much he had come to rely on Kira's presence. A few months ago, he would have scoffed at the thought of being attached to a mere librarian. He would have called it weakness.

"How do I get my memories of Kira back?"

"I don't know exactly," Frigga confessed. "It's possible-that I know for sure-but I never thought I would need to put them back." She chuckled softly. "I don't know what I was thinking, assuming that you wouldn't figure it out even if I arranged for Kira to bring you your books."

Loki's head shot up at that. "Why did you arrange that in the first place?"

She sighed. "I thought perhaps she could change you. I had hoped that since she was able to bring something good out of you when you were younger, she would be able to do it again. I should have known you would figure out what I had done sooner or later." She leaned forward and took Loki's hands in hers. "I am sorry."

Blue eyes met blue eyes and Loki could tell she meant it. He let his hands rest in hers for a moment more before getting up to pace his cell.

"I can come back tomorrow," Frigga suggested carefully. "I'll look through my books and find a way to put your memories back. I promise."

Loki nodded absently, still pacing.

She smiled sadly and stood up to face Loki. She reached out and took him in her arms, holding him close to her. "I know it doesn't seem like it," she whispered over his tense form, "but I love you. I always will."

"I..." Loki stopped himself, taking a breath and pulling away.

"Goodbye, Mother."

* * *

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 **(Kudos to those of you still reading 3)**


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen:**

Kira paced up and down her quarters, hoping Thor would agree to her compromise. She saw no reason for him to not, but she still worried. Sighing, she fell into her chair, glancing half-heartedly at the book beside her. _Negotiating the Peace_ had proved to be less of an interesting read than she had hoped for. She reached for a different book, but a knock on her door stalled her hand.

She found Thor on the other side of the doorframe, and hurriedly ushered him in.

"Have you spoken to Brandon?" she asked him immediately.

Thor nodded. "I passed on your suggestion to my mother. She has agreed to allow it. You know-" He was cut off as Kira threw her arms around his neck.

"Thank you, Thor."

He smiled and gently patted her on the back. "I have one more thing to show you."

Kira let him go and arched an eyebrow. "Alright...lead on, then."

They made small talk as Thor led her through the palace gardens. There was much to grasp Kira's attention as she listened to Thor recount his experiences in Midgard. Pure white Queen Anne's Lace filled gaps between clusters of springtime tulips and daffodils. Redbuds lined the pathway Thor and Kira walked on, and willow trees arched their branches over stone benches and small ponds. After about ten minutes of walking Kira glanced up at Thor.

"As nice as this is, I can't help but wonder if there is more to this outing than walking through the palace gardens."

Thor merely smiled in response, and Kira saw a twinkle in his blue eyes. They eventually cleared the gardens, and began walking up a steep hill. It was nearing late afternoon and Kira's legs were beginning to ache from all the walking when she caught sight of a familiar figure.

"Brandon!" she smiled and greeted him with a warm hug. He had changed his usual captain's uniform in favor of something more casual-a casual blue tunic embroidered at the edges. His sword hung by his side as always.

"I know everything has been happening quickly and certain...things have been getting in the way," he said as soon as Thor had left them with a wink. "But I was hoping we could perhaps clear things up and find out where we stand." He took her hand brought her to the very top of the hill and Kira realized that it was not just a hill, but a cliff. The cliff overlooked a wide expanse of trees, and in the distance, grey mountains that climbed up towards the sky. The late afternoon sun cast a golden filter over everything in sight, making the world glow.

"It's beautiful," Kira breathed.

Brandon nodded in agreement. "This is my favorite spot in all of Asgard. Most don't know it exists. They reach the end of the palace gardens and assume the beauty ends there as well."

Kira shook her head in amazement. "They couldn't be more wrong."

She felt his gaze wash over her pointedly as he responded. "Truly."

She met his eyes briefly before looking down and blushing. It had been a long time since she had felt so wonderfully flustered around someone. She gathered up the courage to look up at him again and found his eyes still trained on her and his lips upturned into an endearing half-smile. Suddenly, his blue eyes flashed excitedly.

"I almost forgot!" He turned and felt through the long grass they were standing in. "Here." He pulled out a purple columbine flower and tucked it behind her ear.

Kira smiled as his fingers brushed her face and gently moved her brown hair out of the way of the flower. His hand lingered by her face a few moments longer than was necessary, as though he was debating something. She helped him make his decision by taking his hand in her own and gently tugging him towards her.

She met Brandon as he leaned down, letting go of his hand and instead wrapping her arms around his neck, feeling the soft brush of his-

Kira broke off with a gasp as a hand tapped her on the shoulder. Nate stood hunched over and breathing hard behind her, as though he had run all the way from the palace without slowing.

"What is it?" Brandon asked, concern evident in his voice.

"Sorry to interrupt your little...thing." Nate waved his hand in their general direction. "But the palace needs you. Remember that dragon we trapped in the treasury?"

Brandon nodded, already reaching for the sword by his side.

"Well, it's escaped. Odin wants you to put together a team to either trap it again, or kill it for good. I hope it goes without saying that I want in." Nate stood up straight, his chest still rising and falling rapidly, but his gaze determined. Brandon cursed under his breath, but in his eyes Kira saw the same determination.

"Of course you're in. I couldn't do this without you. Any idea where the dragon is headed?"

"To be honest, all you need to do is follow the trail of destruction. But last I heard, the dragon was headed for the cells."

"Loki," Kira breathed. She rounded on Brandon. "We've got to go. Now."

….

Frigga sat in her personal library, pouring over every book on memories she could find. She hadn't left since she had gotten back from Loki's cell that morning; it was now dark outside. A large pile of books continued to grow beside her as she deemed them useless. There were so many methods to take away memories, yet hardly any to restore them.

Finally, _finally,_ she found the book she needed. Frigga stood in triumph, stretching her legs for the first time in hours. A great rumbling shook the floor, knocking her into the stack of books. The tremor seemed to run through the palace's very skeleton.

"What is going on?" She stumbled outside and was immediately met by a pair of guards.

"We're not entirely sure, Your Majesty, but it seems to be a sort of earthquake. We have orders from the Allfather to escort you to your chambers."

Frigga pursed her lips. "Very well. But I have something I need to ge-" The palace shook again and she heard bookshelves fall behind her with resounding crashes.

"With all due respect," the guard said, "we must go now. It is not safe for you in the library." The pair all but pushed her away from the entryway, and led her up to her chambers. They had just turned a corner when another soldier came running towards them, breathless.

"Dragon," he gasped. "The earthquake-it's not-it's the dragon... We need...soldiers..."

"Where is the dragon?" Frigga demanded.

"Still in the treasury...I think...it's headed for the treasury..."

"Loki," Frigga breathed. She turned to the guards. "Leave me," she said.

"But, Your Majesty, we have orders."

"If Odin questions you, you may tell him that I overruled his orders. I am Queen, and have just as much authority over you as he. Now, go. You must collect the rest of the guards and prepare to defend the palace."

"Yes, Your Majesty." The guards bowed and set off toward the treasury. Frigga went the other way toward the cells, walking as fast as her dress would allow.

She headed immediately to Loki's cell. He was sitting on the floor, reading, and looked up just long enough to cast a casual glance over her. "What more do you require from me, Mother?"

Frigga waved her hand and the golden mesh separating them disappeared. "We have very little time. You must hurry."

Loki stood, but did little more except raise a single brow. "Would I be correct in supposing this has something to do with the occurring tremors?"

"Yes," Frigga huffed at her son. "Now, come along."

A malevolent grin spread across Loki's face. "Do you really trust me enough to simply...let me out?" His eyes gleamed. "Does Odin?"

Frigga pursed her lips. "I'd like to. But no, I do not trust you." She waved her hand a pair of handcuffs fixed themselves around his wrists. "Now then. _Come along._ "

"Of course, Mother-dearest." Loki stepped smartly down from his cell. He examined the floor appraisingly. "How nice it is to be free. Are those new floors? They look very nice and clean, although I confess I've never seen a crew down here to clean them. Anyway...perhaps you could ruin my perfectly good mood and tell me _what_ _is going on._ "

She glanced sidelong at him. "The dragon is out of the treasury. Supposedly, it is heading this way."

"And you decided to come save me? I'm touched." Loki's eyes still gleamed. _He's enjoying this._ Of course he was. He had always flourished in chaos. She stopped and looked him in his blue eyes. Eyes like ice. Eyes like hers.

"I have lost my ones too many times. I have lost _you_ too many times. I will not let it happen again."

Loki dropped his gaze first. The gleam was gone. The malevolence was gone. It was as though he had de-aged a couple hundred years and was just a young boy struggling to belong. "Not while Odin is still on the throne."

Frigga opened her mouth to reply, but the ground shook again, harder than before. "It's coming," Frigga said. And come it did. with an ear-shattering roar, great leather wings smashed through the entryway to the cells. Ivory claws drew marks in the floor as the blood-red snout came into view.

"There go the lovely floors." Loki was back, re-aged. Frigga grabbed him and pulled him behind a fallen chunk of what used to be an archway.

"Why does it not go after Odin?" He hissed to her. "Do us all a favor."

"It will get no sympathy from Odin," she whispered back. "But from here...every prisoner holds some animosity towards Asgard. Towards the throne."

The dragon was massive and Frigga could only imagine the damage it had done to the rest of the palace. It filled the width of the chamber, its wings scraping both walls even when furled against its body.

"Once it clears the entryway we will make our escape," Frigga breathed. "We can sneak out behind it and perhaps find a way to trap it here, if possible. I don't want any casualties if I can help it."

Loki nodded and waited beside his mother. When the dragon's tail was completely inside the prison, they made a run for it.

But the dragon had both better hearing and agility than they had anticipated. Before he could react, the dragon had Loki pinned against the wall, its tail-spikes digging uncomfortably into his skin. Loki saw his mother freeze, then pull a sword from the folds of her skirt. He pursed his lips and then focused instead on the mirror-image of himself in the dragon's line of sigh. He multiplied it until there were three, four, five Lokis weaving between each other.

Out of the corner of his eye, Loki watched his mother retreat into the shadows, and soon a multitude of Friggas joined the fray. The dragon swung its scaly head back and forth, its narrow eyes deciding which figure to go after first. It swiped at them with ivory claws, each the length of Loki's forearm. He grinned as they went right through the figures, and the dragon let out a roar of frustration. He had three of his illusions run towards him, prompting the dragon to flick it's tail at them. Loki dropped down neatly, free of at least one of his constraints.

His mother rushed at him, waving her hand and getting rid of the handcuffs.

"Come on," she grabbed his wrist in an iron grip and pulled him away. He let her drag him, his other hand pressed against his bleeding side. The dragon's tail had gotten fairly deep.

Frigga glanced back at him and immediately stopped to inspect the wound.

"Keep going," Loki hissed at her. "In case you hadn't noticed, we're sort of in the middle of being attacked."

"We won't get far if you collapse along the way." She pressed her hand to his side.

"Mother-"

"Hush, Loki."

" _Mother!"_

He had sensed the dragon rather than heard it. Now that it was out in the large, open corridors it could be quite stealthy. Loki sensed when it came for them, sensed when it was about to lunge, and yet was still too slow to stop it. A large claw swiped Frigga away, and the dragon turned one gold, intelligent eye upon Loki. it seemed like hours before the dragon turned away, and Loki could have sworn it grinned as it did. It barely spared Frigga a glance as it tramped down the corridor, paying no mind to the blood-soaked figure that shimmered and disappeared from her vantage point against the wall where she had been tossed.

The dragon shrieked. It was a sound that rocked the palace worse than the tremors of its footprints. Frigga grabbed its horn for balance as she fought to plunge her sword deeper into its eye. The dragon bucked. looking almost like a dancer at it tried to dislodge her. Frigga let go of the horn to grip her sword, but missed as the dragon dipped and flew off its scaly head.

She hit the wall with a sickening crunch, looking almost as though she were underwater with her blue dress floating around her as she bounced off and fell to the ground.

Loki was frozen. He felt it encasing his bones, his muscles, stemming from his heart. But then he saw her move, barely an inch, and found himself approaching her. She smiled faintly. "I do hope I have made the job at least somewhat easier for Captain Bromsson."

Loki forced a smile in return. "I'm sure you have."

His mother clutched his hand and pulled him down beside her. "You and Thor will still have to help him. You two must work together. Promise me you won't make it difficult."

"Mother-"

" _Promise me."_

The words tasted like sawdust in his mouth. It was more than just promising to help Thor. To not make things _difficult._ It was admitting she wouldn't be there to play peacemaker when he inevitably did. "I promise."

"Good." She reached up and touched Loki's face. He didn't shy away. Her hands were cold.

 _"My son."_

He swallowed and nodded as she looked up at him. He stayed by her even as her hand fell.

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	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen:**

Kira and Brandon shot off toward the cells immediately, leaving Nate to catch up.

"Hold on," he panted, placing a hand on each of their shoulders to keep them from running off. "Odin wants to see us first. You need to know what's happening before you go after the dragon."

"Of course," Brandon nodded, already setting off again-this time in the opposite direction. Kira hurried to catch up with him.

Brandon slowed to a brisk walk when they reached the palace throne room. Odin was seated on the throne, Thor pacing before him. As always, the Warriors Three and Sif flanked him.

"Good, you're here," Thor said, pausing in his steps. "Now we may begin."

"I will make this quick." Odin stood from the throne. "The dragon has broken out of its prison in the treasury. I believe it is making its way to the prison cells in an attempt to free the prisoners and rain more havoc upon us. We, as well as whatever other guards we can find, must kill the dragon once and for all."

"Is Mother safe?" Thor inquired.

"I ordered guards to escort her to her chambers. She ought to be safe there."

A hollow laugh sounded from the shadows. "You _ought_ to get better guards then."

"Loki!" Kira ran towards him as the throne room rang with the sound of six swords unsheathing. Loki held up blood-stained hands in surrender.

"The Queen is dead. The dragon killed her."

Kira stared at him in shock. Surely he was lying. The Queen couldn't die; the idea was preposterous. Yet, something _off_ about Loki told her he was telling the truth.

Odin sat down heavily, his head in his hands.

"And how do we know it wasn't you that killed her?" Fandral accused him. "Blaming her death on the dragon would make a perfect alibi."

"Would you like to see the body?" Loki's eyes flashed. "Would you like to see the claw marks? The blood stains?" For the first time in a long time Kira saw a hint of the maniacal-almost hysterical-tone in his voice. He stalked towards Fandral. Kira grabbed his arm before he could take more than two steps.

"Let go of me," he snarled at her, and what she saw in his blue eyes almost scared her enough to make her let go.

"He's not lying," she told Fandral. "He...he can't be." Every eye in the throne room was on her: a small, brown-haired, freckled library assistant. A library assistant who was defending a criminal before the Ruler of the Nine Realms.

And Loki shoved her away.

"I don't need you to defend me!" He glared up at Odin. "The dragon is making its way out of the palace with an army of the criminals _you_ put in cells. The throne room is its way out. We can either wait here for it, or go find it. It's your choice."

"How...how did Mother die?" Thor had been silent ever since Loki had made his presence known, but now he looked at his brother almost pleadingly.

"She died blinding the dragon and de-" Loki's jaw clenched. "It's blind in its left eye. Use it to your advantage."

"You make it sound as though you are not joining us," Sif challenged him.

He bared his teeth at her. "Would you like me to?"

"I think we will need all the help we can get," Brandon said carefully.

Everyone looked to Odin. He didn't move and he didn't speak. Kira wondered what was going through his mind.

"Captain Bromsson has a point," Thor said.

The room was silent. Loki's face was unreadable. Sif was glaring at him. Kira broke the tension. "So, when do we start?"

Sif laughed. "Surely, you don't plan on coming?"

Kira rounded on Brandon who looked quite uncomfortable. "You said we'll need all the help we can get." She rounded on Thor. "And _you_ said he had a point. I can do magic. I can help."

"Well, yes, but-"

"Oh, let her come if she wants to. It's her life not ours." Kira bristled at Sif's tone.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Brandon asked her.

Kira swallowed, but nodded nevertheless.

"Alright," Brandon said. "but I want you to stay on the side. I don't want any unnecessary casualties. In fact, I'd rather we didn't have any casualties at all."

"I can get behind that," Nate cracked his knuckles.

"The only casualty will be that of the dragon," Thor declared.

"Oh, don't be so naïve. Especially you, Thor, when you haven't even seen the dragon yourself." He cocked his head. "Where were you exactly...oh, yes. I believe you were _visiting_ Midgard. How is Jane, by the way?"

"Loki," Thor growled.

He smiled. "My only point is that you are running into this fight blind. Perhaps you should step back and let the other, more experienced, warriors-like Captain Bromsson who trapped the dragon the last time-step up."

Thor's eyes had begun to spark dangerously. "You want an experienced warrior? I'll show you an experienced warrior!" He lunged at Loki, swinging Mjolnir in a wide arc. But it went right through him.

"You're going to have to try harder than that, dear brother." Loki stepped out from behind a pillar.

Kira ducked out of Thor's way and walked, unseen, towards Loki, using the pillars as cover.

"What are you doing, Loki?" Kira hissed at him. He barely spared her a glance, just grinned at Thor with empty eyes.

"Stay out of this, Kira," Thor warned. He pressed Mjolnir against Loki's throat. "I don't know what games you're playing, Loki, but you must stop them now. Else you may cost us our lives."

" _Thor._ Don't you see? I'm _saving_ our lives by keeping your sorry self out of the line of command."

Thor lowered his voice. "Brandon is a fine warrior and an even finer man, but he is not a god like you and I. He cannot take the dragon head-on."

Loki merely flashed his teeth and shrugged. "Have it your way, then. But last time you led us to battle, Heimdall and your father had to come save us."

"Somebody call?" Heimdall's voice echoed through the room, his golden armor shimmering. He stopped before the two brothers.

"I am sorry to hear about the Queen, she will be missed."

Loki ignored him while Thor nodded gratefully before turning back to his conversation.

"That was in Jotunheim. A lot has happened to me since then. A lot has happened to you as well, and if you claim neither of us have changed since, it is not I who is the naïve one."

Again, Loki shrugged.

"However, for once since then, I would like to fight side-by-side. As brothers. The way mother would have wanted. We can go back to hating each other after we kill the dragon if you are more comfortable with that."

"You make a tempting offer." He grinned, and Kira shivered. "Very well."

Thor searched Loki's gaze, and Kira thought she saw a deep pool of loss in Thor's eyes.

Mjolnir lifted from Loki's chest and Thor walked away. Kira gave Loki one last searching look, conscious of the way he refused to look back at her. She sighed and left him as well, making her way back over to Brandon and Nate.

Brandon had managed to get ahold of some armor, and was busy sliding the chest-plate on. He glanced at her and tried to smile. "Some date we had. Would you care to reschedule?"

"I would, actually."

"I imagine I'll be fairly busy once this dragon business is over with, but I'm sure I can find time. So long as you're not too busy shelving books."

"I can probably find some time." Kira mirrored his smile. They were avoiding the bilge snipe in the room, and Kira was grateful for it.

"I'm sure I could find time as well." Nate smirked and pushed himself between them. "Mistress Beluthra's anyone?"

Brandon rolled his eyes, but Kira laughed.

"It's a date."

"In case you've forgotten, there's still a dragon to kill. You may not want to make plans for something you won't be able to attend." Loki's gaze swept coldly over the trio. "Kira, you're with me. We're going to distract the dragon and its minions while the others try to kill it." He glared at Brandon. "Don't miss."

Brandon stared steadily back. "I don't plan to. But you could have made it easier for us by doing something about the dragon instead of sitting back and letting the Queen do your dirty work."

Loki lunged at Brandon, who calmly drew his sword and pointed the tip at his throat.

"Not another step."

Thor growled from across the room. "Loki, you promised we-"

"Yes, I promised _we_ would fight together. You failed to include Bromsson in that agreement."

Thor sighed. "Just...take Kira. Captain, lower your sword. You're with me."

Brandon nodded and followed Thor's order. He looked at Kira for a second, then swept in and kissed her. She didn't have time to react, she just let him kiss her. His lips were light, and when he broke it her head spun as she crashed back to reality. She barely registered the unconcerned grin he flashed her as he walked away. He was faking it, she knew, but it was the thought that counted.

"Come on," Loki said shortly, gripping Kira by the arm and dragging her away.

"I can walk by myself, thank you." She yanked her arm out of his grasp.

"Loki..."

Kira whirled around. The Allfather looked pained as he stood.

Loki stopped, but refused to face him. "Yes."

"Your mother...she loved you."

"I'm aware."

"I know it may not seem like it...but, Loki, I love-"

"No."

Kira watched Odin's sorrow-filled blue eyes spark.

"What did you say to me, son?"

"Don't call me your son."

"I raised you!" Odin's voice thundered. "You were abandoned; left for dead! I gave you a home!"

"No." This time Loki did face him. "You didn't raise me. You raised _him._ You never gave me a second glance. _She_ did. Do _not_ take credit for what she did."

Kira pressed her lips together as he stalked up to the throne. She knew she should hold him back, tell him to keep moving, but she feared he would turn on her if she did.

"You say you love me, yet where were you? I never saw you, you were always too busy with Thor. The _golden child._ Born to be King. But he wasn't the one who spent hours reading and studying diplomacy. He didn't have to study every move you made from the shadows, in the place of guidance from you. I wanted to know exactly what it was that made a good king...because I wanted to be just like you. And well..." Loki's voice faded to a hoarse whisper. "Now. I _am."_

Odin had begun to back away, slowly sinking to the ground. Loki followed him, standing over him and staring him down.

"Loki..."

"I'm your worst enemy. And yet..." Loki began to shimmer, his skin turning a frosty blue. "I'm just like you."

"Loki, please..." Odin was on the ground. Loki did nothing but snarl.

"Go on, fall into your Odinsleep. Right when your kingdom needs you. Thor and I will pick up your slack."

Odin was motionless at the foot of his throne, yet no one moved a muscle. Kira found she was shaking.

"Come, Kira." Loki swept past her, his skin back to normal, though she swore she saw a flash of red in his eyes. "Since you insist on coming with us, I suppose I'll have to actually teach you how to stay alive."

He brought her just outside the throne room. "Right, try to pay attention since you have limited time to learn these spells and it could be a matter of life and death."

She just nodded and tried to steady her hands and thoughts.

"I'll show you the shield spell first since its the most similar to the other spells you've done. It's essentially an illusion."

He demonstrated, and a thin film of magic shimmered in front of him. It looked like the golden mesh that used to hold him prisoner, except his was green. Loki waved his hand and the shield disappeared. "Your turn."

Kira put her hands up and focused. Her fingers sparked magenta briefly, but faded before they could become anything of substance.

"Again," Loki commanded.

She tried again, but nothing happened.

"You're doing it wrong."

"Well, then you're teaching me wrong," Kira snapped.

"I don't _have_ to teach you anything. If you prefer, you can go and try to kill a dragon with nothing but a fire spell and die. You won't stand a chance."

"And how do you know?" she challenged. Her head knew she wasn't ready to face a dragon, but her pride was done.

He got close enough to her that she could see every shade of blue in his eyes and every strand of hair on his head. "Because my mother is the best magic user in the nine realms, and _she_ didn't stand a chance. So forgive me for trying to save you." He began to walk back into the throne room. Kira stood frozen in place, she had completely forgotten about his mother. She'd been so caught up everything else that had happened that day.

"Loki, wait!" He paused mid-step.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I'm so, so sorry. I can't imagine what you must be going through right now."

He looked at her darkly. "You might by the end of today."

 _What had she gotten herself into?_

* * *

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